Synonyms

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.

See Examples For:

shell out

One key factor determining how much older adults will shell out for health care is the age at which they retire, according to Milliman.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Delta’s hope is that the restrictions will prompt you to shell out even more for what’s already a pricey ticket.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Last year, business owners signaled they weren’t willing to shell out more every year to make it happen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

Back in 2022 you only had to shell out £1 for the average box of six supermarket own brand free-range eggs.

From BBC ● May 24, 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