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

Alpert, who spends roughly 80% of the night on her left side, found the medium density softer than expected, but not at all floppy.

— Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 13 Aug. 2026
On one hand, Frankie is a college dropout who spends her days hotboxing around Los Angeles while occasionally also delivering packages.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of spends

Verb

Medicaid, the federal-state program that covers healthcare for low-income families, pays for at least 40% of births nationwide.

— Andrew Jones, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
The main hall is 329 years old and the roof leaks, and a temple at the head of a pilgrimage route doesn't generate the kind of money that pays for a roof.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of pays

Verb

Armstrong gives the Chiefs a tall target among a shorter group, and his potential as a red zone blocker should only help his case to make the 53-man roster.

— Jesse Newell, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
The relaxed fit gives it a cool, chameleon-like quality that works for everything from city strolls to upscale dinners.

— Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 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 18 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of shells out

verb

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