shell out

British

verb

informal (adverb) to pay out or hand over (money)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shell out Idioms

Pay, hand over, as in We had to shell out $1,000 for auto repairs. This expression transfers taking a seed such as a pea or nut out of its pod or shell to taking money out of one's pocket. [Colloquial; c. 1800]

Etymology

Origin of shell out

C19: from _shell (in the sense: to remove from a pod or (figuratively) a purse)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Buffett was known for keeping enough cash on the sidelines that he could take advantage of opportunities as they arose, but he wouldn’t just shell out cash for just any name.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Now could you be asked to shell out even more to compensate for rising fuel costs?

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Others make “pay-to-win” games that encourage the user to shell out micropayments to keep up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Youth sports have grown into a $40-billion dollar per year industry, where eager parents shell out for private coaches, off-season practice, and travel leagues, in the hopes of giving their child a competitive edge.

From Slate • Feb. 16, 2026

"He said five. I'm sorry--I really am--but that's all I'm gonna shell out."

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023