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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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
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
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The mother spends her waking hours working on other people’s farms and performing tasks the neighbors prefer not to do themselves.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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My daughter calls me a creative engineer, someone who spends her life creatively thinking about ways to provide live experiences that offer joy and beauty, or maybe more importantly, that challenge us to see things differently.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Inspired by Portugal’s traditional and contemporary flavors, Baleia also pays respect to the country’s seamen—generations of fishers, sailors and whalers—who traveled the globe and returned with culinary influence, especially from North Africa, China and the Caribbean.—
Jillian Dara,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
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The city has fallen back on multiple tax measures to draw more money, though spending cuts have also alleviated — for now — yearly deficits in the General Purpose Fund budget, which pays for most salaries and daily operations.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
Verb
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This is not the only palace hotel on the Bosphorus, as views from the water will attest, but its smaller size compared to the competition gives it the exclusivity for which Four Seasons properties are known.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Landing the greatest shooter in NBA history gives Li-Ning a marquee athlete and further strengthens China's growing presence in the league.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shells out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shells%20out. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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