shell out

verb

shelled out; shelling out; shells out
Synonyms of shell outnext
: pay

Examples of shell out in a Sentence

we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This would see a payment of 25 cents a ​share — roughly $650M in total — for shelled out to investors for every quarter the takeover does not finalize beyond Q3. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 3 July 2026 Soon after, the e-commerce livestreamer in Hangzhou shelled out $30,000 for his first android and turned it into a rental venture. John Liu, CNN Money, 30 June 2026 The Kansas City tight end shelled out about $1 million on a 10-carat old mine brilliant cut diamond on a gold band, designed by Kindred Lubeck of Artifex Fine Jewelry. Freya Drohan, InStyle, 30 June 2026 For the elderly voters with mobility issues who now are required to register in-person, the working-class parent who has to shell out $165 for a passport or the rural voter who must drive multiple towns over to provide proof of citizenship — this bill impacts them. Dick Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for shell out

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shell out was in 1801

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shell out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shell%20out. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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