Shell Out

B1 16+

Pronunciation: /ʃɛl aʊt/

Definitions of shell out

noun a hard outer covering or case of an animal or plant

Example Sentences

A1 I had to shell out some money for the concert tickets.

A2 She didn't want to shell out for the expensive meal.

B1 I had to shell out a lot of cash for the car repairs.

B2 He was reluctant to shell out for the new computer.

C1 The company had to shell out a large sum for the lawsuit settlement.

C2 I'm not willing to shell out for designer clothes when I can find similar styles for less.

verb to pay or spend money, especially a large amount

Example Sentences

A1 I had to shell out some money for a new pair of shoes.

A2 She shelled out a lot of cash on expensive gifts for her friends.

B1 I don't want to shell out for a new phone when my old one still works.

B2 He shelled out a large sum of money to buy a vintage car.

C1 The company shelled out millions of dollars on a new advertising campaign.

C2 The government is shelling out billions of dollars to improve the country's infrastructure.

Examples of shell out in a Sentence

formal The company had to shell out a significant amount of money to settle the lawsuit.

informal I had to shell out some cash to get my car fixed.

slang I'm not shelling out for that expensive concert ticket.

figurative Sometimes you have to shell out your time and effort to achieve your goals.

Grammatical Forms of shell out

past tense

shelled out

plural

shell out

comparative

more shell out

superlative

most shell out

present tense

shells out

future tense

will shell out

perfect tense

have shelled out

continuous tense

is shelling out

singular

shells out

positive degree

shell out

infinitive

to shell out

gerund

shelling out

participle

shelled out

Origin and Evolution of shell out

First Known Use: 1601 year
Language of Origin: English
Story behind the word: The term 'shell out' likely originated from the practice of extracting edible meat from shells, such as nuts or shellfish, by physically removing the shell to access the desired content.
Evolution of the word: Over time, 'shell out' evolved to refer to the act of paying or contributing money, possibly stemming from the idea of 'shelling out' money from one's possession similar to extracting content from a shell.