as in spends
to hand over or use up in payment
we shelled out an obscene amount of money for those concert tickets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shells out
Verb
-
Corden is joined by Bobby Cannavale and Neil Patrick Harris for the first-ever Broadway revival of Yasmina Reza’s play, which follows three longtime friends whose relationship is pushed to the brink when one of them spends a fortune on a stark, all-white painting.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025 -
But the labor reductions also arrive as the company spends heavily on AI.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The collection also pays tribute to the Belgian designer’s work for Y/Project, with various pieces in the collection—from boots through to prints—nodding to key archival designs.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The general fund also pays for parks, trash pickup, public works, code enforcement, and the county’s administrators and management staff, according to budget documents.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Article 1 of the Constitution specifically gives Congress the power to declare war.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Billed as an action crime drama, which gives a magical realism twist to a real-life figure.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Shells out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shells%20out. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share