as in spending
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 shelling out
Meta has also been on an aggressive AI spending spree, shelling out more than $72 billion for data centers and other AI infrastructure in 2025.
—
Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
While content creators can purchase their own tickets — often shelling out thousands for entry — many are invited by brands, some of which offer to cover airfare, accommodations and passes into the festival.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
An $80 round trip to see the World Cup, in addition to shelling out for tickets is well out of reach.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
However, the only highly visible campaign is that of billionaire Steyer, who’s not only hopping around the state for personal appearances but shelling out millions of his own bucks for television and internet ads.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, taxpayers are shelling out $273,063 per hour to keep Air Force One in the air.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
So the idea is that Breakaway goers aren’t shelling out all of this extra money just to get to the concert and stay in town.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
Amazon shares have dropped nearly 6% in 2026 as Wall Street worried that Big Tech may shelling out too much for data center buildouts.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
This means the perfectionist in you can zero in on the perfect shade of beige or blue without shelling out for customized covers.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 3 Mar. 2026
Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
While content creators can purchase their own tickets — often shelling out thousands for entry — many are invited by brands, some of which offer to cover airfare, accommodations and passes into the festival.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
An $80 round trip to see the World Cup, in addition to shelling out for tickets is well out of reach.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
However, the only highly visible campaign is that of billionaire Steyer, who’s not only hopping around the state for personal appearances but shelling out millions of his own bucks for television and internet ads.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, taxpayers are shelling out $273,063 per hour to keep Air Force One in the air.
—John Whitehead, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
So the idea is that Breakaway goers aren’t shelling out all of this extra money just to get to the concert and stay in town.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
Amazon shares have dropped nearly 6% in 2026 as Wall Street worried that Big Tech may shelling out too much for data center buildouts.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
This means the perfectionist in you can zero in on the perfect shade of beige or blue without shelling out for customized covers.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelling out
Verb
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The 23-year-old, boxed out of the Yankees’ Opening Day roster despite spending the entire 2025 season in the majors, was called up from Triple-A on Monday.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
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Since making their water landing, the three Americans and one Canadian who set out on the lunar journey have been busy, spending recent weeks reuniting with family, debriefing the mission and making media appearances – all while adapting to life back on Earth.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Talking about more than academics, Joyce said CLC’s project to build the Advanced Technology Center in Gurnee, teaching skills for well-paying jobs and a major expansion to the Waukegan campus have made a difference in helping to build the workforce.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Lawyers who represent Silicon Valley’s biggest AI firms are paying attention.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Why then hesitate at giving people information about themselves that will actually change their life for the better?—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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Zamora supports giving middle and high school communities the option to have an officer on campus at least part-time.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shelling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelling%20out. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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