SHELL OUT Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

shell out

verb

Definition of shell out

as in to spend

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 shell out Los Angeles will shell out $120,000 for outside lawyers to fight a lawsuit filed by Councilmember John Lee challenging an ethics fine. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 28 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 Cuban, a minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, shelled out over $35 million in bonuses to the NBA team’s employees back in 2024. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 July 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shell out

Verb

During our time away, our neighbors visited with us at the hospital, looked after our house and came over daily to feed and spend time with our cat.

— Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
American doctors are so conspicuously well-paid that a group of economic researchers spent years trying to figure out why.

— Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 5 July 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

And, more broadly, country-level plans that lay out investable climate projects across different countries received top billing at different forums.

— Justin Worland, Time, 26 June 2026
And so the goal that lawmakers have stated for this bill and that a lot of the provisions lay out is to tackle some of the bottlenecks and some of the problems that have kept us from providing the level of housing supply that the country needs over time.

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 25 June 2026

Definition of lay out

Browse Nearby Words

shelling out

shell out

shells

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

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Synonyms of shell out

verb

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