as in paid
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 shelled out
In recent months, OpenAI and hyperscaler peers have shelled out billions to fund datacenters to meet ballooning compute demand.
—
Samantha Subin, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2026
Control of the action series was a major reason why the company shelled out more than $8 billion to buy MGM Studios in 2022.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Jenner said that Hutchins planned to repay her prior to her untimely death and had already shelled out $75,000 toward her legal fees.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Kalshi shelled out at least $1 million on lobbying last year—a record for the eight-year-old company.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Payton said multiple times around the season’s end that Denver had too many drops in the passing game, but the Broncos haven’t shelled out in an inflated receiver market to fix that.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Even though Diane Bricker doesn’t live in her Ocean City, New Jersey, condo during the winter, the retiree shelled out $698 last month for electricity to keep the heat at 55 degrees and to power the refrigerator.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Samantha Subin, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2026
Control of the action series was a major reason why the company shelled out more than $8 billion to buy MGM Studios in 2022.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Jenner said that Hutchins planned to repay her prior to her untimely death and had already shelled out $75,000 toward her legal fees.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Kalshi shelled out at least $1 million on lobbying last year—a record for the eight-year-old company.
—Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Payton said multiple times around the season’s end that Denver had too many drops in the passing game, but the Broncos haven’t shelled out in an inflated receiver market to fix that.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Even though Diane Bricker doesn’t live in her Ocean City, New Jersey, condo during the winter, the retiree shelled out $698 last month for electricity to keep the heat at 55 degrees and to power the refrigerator.
—Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 12 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
The Pentagon has shelled out nearly $5 billion over the past year to spur mining.
—Didi Tang, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelled out
Verb
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The project will be paid for primarily through neighborhood improvement capital funds, with smaller amounts coming from the city’s motor fuel tax fund and its sewer fund, the staff report shows.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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The films’ posters for both the 2006 and the second film feature a giant red shoe, and the stars paid homage to that by slipping into a variety of designer heels during the press tour.—
Karla Rodriguez,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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In 1992, Pau spent a year traveling to New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles on an Asian Cultural Council grant.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Bark-Huss spent the night in Paller’s lab with electrodes on her head.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shelled out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelled%20out. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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