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• shell
  shell

  noun

  a hard outer covering of an animal, as the hard case of a mollusk, or either half of the case of a bivalve mollusk.
• she'll
  she'll

  contraction of she will.

shell

¹ American  

[shel] / ʃɛl /

noun

• shells
  plural

1. a hard outer covering of an animal, as the hard case of a mollusk, or either half of the case of a bivalve mollusk.

2. any of various objects resembling such a covering, as in shape or in being more or less concave or hollow.

3. the material constituting any of various coverings of this kind.

4. the hard exterior of an egg.

5. the usually hard, outer covering of a seed, fruit, or the like, as the hard outside portion of a nut, the pod of peas, etc.

6. a hard, protecting or enclosing case or cover.

7. an attitude or manner of reserve that usually conceals one's emotions, thoughts, etc..

   One could not penetrate his shell.

8. a hollow projectile for a cannon, mortar, etc., filled with an explosive charge designed to explode during flight, upon impact, or after penetration.

9. a metallic cartridge used in small arms and small artillery pieces.

10. a metal or paper cartridge, as for use in a shotgun.

11. a cartridgelike pyrotechnic device that explodes in the air.

12. Italian Cooking. shells, small pieces of pasta having the shape of a shell.

13. the lower pastry crust of a pie, tart, or the like, baked before the filling is added.

14. Computers. a program providing a menu-driven or graphical user interface designed to simplify use of the operating system, as in loading application programs.

15. Physics.

    1. any of up to seven energy levels on which an electron may exist within an atom, the energies of the electrons on the same level being equal and on different levels being unequal.

    2. a group of nucleons of approximately the same energy.

16. a light, long, narrow racing boat, for rowing by one or more persons.

17. the outer part of a finished garment that has a lining, especially a detachable lining.

18. a woman's sleeveless blouse or sweater, especially one meant for wear under a suit jacket.

19. Nautical. the plating, planking, or the like, covering the ribs and forming the exterior hull of a vessel.

20. tortoiseshell.

21. a mollusk.

22. Engineering. the curved solid forming a dome or vault.

23. an arena or stadium covered by a domed or arched roof.

24. a saucer-shaped arena or stadium.

25. the framework, external structure, or walls and roof of a building.

    After the fire, only the shell of the school was left.

26. a small glass for beer.

27. the metal, pressure-resistant outer casing of a fire-tube boiler.

28. Metallurgy.

    1. a scab on the surface of an ingot.

    2. a length of unfinished tubing.

    3. a pierced forging.

    4. a hollow object made by deep drawing.

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verb (used with object)

• shells,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shelled,
  past participle,  past
• shelling
  present participle

1. to take out of the shell, pod, etc.; remove the shell of.

2. to separate (Indian corn, grain, etc.) from the ear, cob, or husk.

3. to fire shells or explosive projectiles into, upon, or among; bombard.

verb (used without object)

• shells,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shelled,
  past participle,  past
• shelling
  present participle

1. to fall or come out of the shell, husk, etc.

2. to come away or fall off, as a shell or outer coat.

3. to gather sea shells.

   We spent the whole morning shelling while the tide was out.

verb phrase

1. shell out to hand over (money); contribute; pay.

she'll ² American  

[sheel, shil] / ʃil, ʃɪl /

1. contraction of she will.

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shell ¹ British  

/ ʃɛl /

noun

1. the protective calcareous or membranous outer layer of an egg, esp a bird's egg

2. the hard outer covering of many molluscs that is secreted by the mantle

3. any other hard outer layer, such as the exoskeleton of many arthropods

4. the hard outer layer of some fruits, esp of nuts

5. any hard outer case

6. a hollow artillery projectile filled with explosive primed to explode either during flight, on impact, or after penetration Compare ball 1

7. a small-arms cartridge comprising a hollow casing inside which is the primer, charge, and bullet

8. a pyrotechnic cartridge designed to explode in the air

9. rowing a very light narrow racing boat

10. the external structure of a building, esp one that is unfinished or one that has been gutted by fire

11. the basic structural case of something, such as a machine, vehicle, etc

12. physics

    1. a class of electron orbits in an atom in which the electrons have the same principal quantum number and orbital angular momentum quantum number and differences in their energy are small compared with differences in energy between shells

    2. an analogous energy state of nucleons in certain theories ( shell models ) of the structure of the atomic nucleus

13. the pastry case of a pie, flan, etc

14. a thin slab of concrete or a skeletal framework made of wood or metal that forms a shell-like roof

15. (in some schools) a class or form

16. to become less shy and reserved

17. to help to become less shy and reserved

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verb

1. to divest or be divested of a shell, husk, pod, etc

2. to separate or be separated from an ear, husk, cob, etc

3. (tr) to bombard with artillery shells

she'll ² British  

/ ʃiːl, ʃɪl /

contraction

1. she will or she shall

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shell Scientific  

/ shĕl /

1. 1. The usually hard outer covering of certain animals, such as mollusks, insects, and turtles.

   2. The hard outer covering of a bird's egg.

   3. The hard outer covering of a seed, nut, or fruit.

2. 1. A set of electron orbitals that have nearly the same energy. Electrons in outer shells have greater energy than those in shells closer to the nucleus. Elements in the Periodic Table range from the lightest elements with electrons normally occupying one shell (hydrogen and helium) to the heaviest, with electrons in seven shells (radium and uranium, for instance).

   2. Any of the stable states of other particles or collections of particles (such as the nucleons in an atomic nucleus) at a given energy or small range of energies.

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shell Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing shell

• in one's shell

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Usage

See contraction.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• de-shell
  verb (used with object)
• shell-less
  adjective
• shell-like
  adjective
• shelly
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shells
  plural

Participles

• shelling
  present
• shelled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shell
  simple
• shells
  simple
• have shelled
  perfect
• has shelled
  perfect
• am shelling
  progressive
• are shelling
  progressive
• is shelling
  progressive
• have been shelling
  perfect progressive
• has been shelling
  perfect progressive

Past

• shelled
  simple
• had shelled
  perfect
• was shelling
  progressive
• were shelling
  progressive
• had been shelling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shell
  simple
• will have shelled
  perfect
• will be shelling
  progressive
• will have been shelling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of shell

before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English scell (north), sciell; cognate with Dutch schil peel, skin, rink, Old Norse skel shell, Gothic skalja tile; (v.) derivative of the noun; cf. shale

Explanation

A hard surface that covers an animal is its shell. Sea urchins, turtles, and lobsters all have protective shells. The largest turtle shell is nearly 10 feet wide! Most shells are made of calcium carbonate, and they grow along with the animal. Bird embryos are nestled inside shells, and nuts have shells too. Other uses for shell come from the biological meaning. A rifle shell has a shell-like metal casing. An empty structure, with only walls, is the shell of a building. And to "come out of your shell," means to emerge, like a turtle, from your shyness.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shell she'll shells shelled shelling

The story reveals that Collins helped secure the company funds while Kao used shell companies to make large donations to Collins’ super PAC.

From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026

Eiko Ishioka designed the blood-red battle armor with a ribbed surface evoking both exposed human musculature and an armadillo’s shell, while the pointed helmet foreshadows the wolf Dracula later becomes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Some will even shell out for the new foldable iPhone Duo, starting at $1,999.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

"I went into shell shock, it was horrible," Nikita says.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

They may be launched outward, into the shell of the nuclear reactor.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

She said she’ll be tracking a hearing on Monday run by the House Budget Committee that looks at the need for a fiscal commission.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026

In 13 weeks time, she'll have to surrender that glitterball trophy to a new victor.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Once again, she’ll tackle an unsavory topic and figure out how to bring it to fruition; then distribute it come what may, because she refuses to be boxed in by the industry’s expectations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Nothing changes at least immediately in terms of where she stands, she’ll continue staying at Tewksbury State Hospital.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

“I think you scared her off, man. But maybe she’ll come back tonight.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Both are small, with cone-shaped shells measuring about 6 mm in length, and they live on limestone rocks where they feed on algae and lichens.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

Rheinmetall has been making ammo since before World War I, and presumably its factories produced their fair share of the shells still lurking in Germany’s soil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Along the roads around Izyum burnt-out shells of petrol stations have become part of the landscape, heaps of mangled, charred metal.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Police in India have fired tear gas shells on protesters demanding reforms to recruitment exams in the eastern state of Jharkhand.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

She takes two mussel shells and grates away the hair on the right side of my head down to the scalp.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

St. Louis shelled out for the broker’s fee—she figured it would pay off given how long she plans to stay there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

Fox paid $485 million for the rights to the 2026 World Cup, while Telemundo shelled out $600 million for the Spanish-language telecasts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

So Michigan dived into the transfer portal—and shelled out more than $10 million over the entire roster—to remake 80% of its starting lineup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Megan McColl had no excuse, however, when she shelled Dunkley's stray cut when the England batter had 45.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

In response the excited citizenry had shelled out precious nickels and quarters and dollars, raising an astonishing twelve thousand dollars to send the crews east.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Big spending always means big ambitions, but shelling out so much money on so many players the way Tottenham did this summer produces problems for any manager, and there is no quick fix.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Instead of shelling out at least $1,999 up front, Duo buyers can lease their foldable for $57.99 a month across a two-year schedule, or $82.99 a month across 12 months.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Americans are also spending more than their European counterparts on each trip, including shelling out for luxury experiences.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Netflix has revealed just how big it is betting on artificial intelligence, shelling out more than half a billion dollars for one of the early AI movers in Hollywood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

She’d been shelling butter beans on the porch, and sweat glistened on the pearls of hair around her forehead.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd