SHELLED OUT Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

shelled out

verb

past tense of shell out

as in paid

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

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 shelled out Per Deadline reporting, House of the Dragon cost nearly $200 million and was the subject of HBO’s biggest marketing campaign ever, valued at over $100M in media spend (that’s a combo of ad spot value and hard cash shelled out). — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026 The Malian cost Brentford just £37million from French club Lens – half the £75m Spurs shelled out for Fernandes and just over a third of Tonali’s fee. — Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 The Salmonella Enteritidis Has Been Linked To Eggs The FDA has shelled out as well more info about the Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak infections that was first listed on the FDA website on June 10. — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 OpenAI shelled out some serious cash to host about 30 internet personalities at a luxury resort called Wildflower Farms in upstate New York over the weekend. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026 Fox paid $485 million for the rights to the 2026 World Cup, while Telemundo shelled out $600 million for the Spanish-language telecasts. — Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026 Now, with less than a month to go before the August 4th primary, AIPAC has already shelled out nearly five times that amount in pro-Stevens and anti-El-Sayed ads. — Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 10 July 2026 According to Mamdani, Swift shelled out six-figures to make that happen. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 10 July 2026 Even at the height of the Miami’s summer slowdown, one buyer just shelled out more than $27 million for a home in the neighborhood at 790 Lake Rd. — Catherine Odom july 8, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelled out

Verb

For sponsored products ads, the FTC alleges advertisers paid their full winning bid about 80% of the time in 2024.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
His Know Your Rights Camp has helped pay for 150 independent autopsies — such as the one for Nolan Wells this year — and has also paid hundreds of thousands in legal grants and bail relief.

— Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of paid

Verb

Steinem spent 11 days working undercover as a bunny in Manhattan's Playboy Club and documenting her experience.

— Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Steinem spent her final years continuing to write, her representatives noted Thursday, including her forthcoming book An Unexpected Life.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of spent

Browse Nearby Words

shelled

shelled out

shell game

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Shelled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelled%20out. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of shelled out

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes