SHELLS OUT Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

shells out

verb

present tense third-person singular of shell out

as in spends

to hand over or use up in payment we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shells out As guests don waders and walk into the shallow bay to the floating baskets where Navy Cove cultivates its bivalves, co-owner Eric Bradley shells out oyster-farming facts. — Jennifer Stewart Kornegay, Southern Living, 30 May 2026 For hundreds less than competing flip phones, Motorola shells out a heavy dose of bendable fun. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026 Google already shells out billions to Apple each year to be the default search engine on iPhones. — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shells out

Verb

Country music star Randy Houser spends a lot of his life on the road, but when the shows are over and the tour bus stops rolling, there's usually one thing on his mind.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Every year, Santos spends months back home in the Yukon as the official sign painter of Dawson City, preserving its history on behalf of the Canadian government.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of spends

Verb

And the city is backing a ballot initiative of its own, Measure AT, which would eliminate a $15-million cap on the 10% admission tax on ticket sales the stadium pays.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
That’s, like, half of what Heather pays for house slippers — that is a single designer slipper.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of pays

Verb

The collagen-rich mixture gives the noodles their slippery texture, which Orlando complements with smoked chili, sunflower-seed miso, and fermented chili cream.

— Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2026
BetMGM is offering new users a promo code of FOXNEWS, which gives them up to $1,500 in bonuses if their first bet loses.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of gives

Browse Nearby Words

shell-shocked

shells out

shelter

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“Shells out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shells%20out. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shells out

verb

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