Skip to content

shell

/ʃɛl/noun, verb1 syllable

Shell means: come out better in a competition, race, or conflict.

Synonyms for shell22

noun, as in hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles

carapace, cuticle, shield

noun, as in the housing or outer covering of something

noun, as in a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)

noun, as in the exterior covering of a bird's egg

eggshell

noun, as in a very light narrow racing boat

racing shell

verb, as in come out better in a competition, race, or conflict

beat, beat out, crush, trounce, vanquish, outwit, overreach, outsmart, outfox, circumvent

verb, as in use explosives on

verb, as in create by using explosives

verb, as in remove the husks from

husk

also used for shell

shell-like

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does shell mean?18

verb

1

come out better in a competition, race, or conflict“Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship”

2

use explosives on“The enemy has been shelling us all day”

3

create by using explosives“blast a passage through the mountain”

4

remove the husks from“husk corn”

5

fall out of the pod or husk“The corn shelled”

6

hit the pitches of hard and regularly“He shelled the pitcher for eight runs in the first inning”

7

look for and collect shells by the seashore

8

remove from its shell or outer covering“shell the legumes”

noun

1

hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles

2

the housing or outer covering of something“the clock has a walnut case”

3

a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)

4

the exterior covering of a bird's egg

5

a very light narrow racing boat

6

ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun

7

the material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals

8

the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts

9

a rigid covering that envelops an object“the satellite is covered with a smooth shell of ice”

10

the hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc or a brachiopod

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with shell?43

three syllables

four syllables

Show 40 near rhymes

All 43 rhymes for shell, grouped by syllable

Shell in a sentence

  • A chicken egg consists of a shell, a white and a yolk.dzouras
  • A second later, a fifth shell erupted from the cannon.AlanF_US
  • There is no ghost in the shell, but there is a system.Cabo
  • The shell-shocked soldier sat silently, lost in his memories.Myrano_
  • Since his wife died, he's been a mere shell of a person.frpzzd
  • The shell fell into the ammunition depot, which provoked a series of explosions.carlosalberto
  • Not far from the village, a shell exploded.AlanF_US
  • Slugs are like snails, but without the shell.arh

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of shell

as a noun

plural
shells

as a verb

past tense
shelled
present participle
shelling
third-person singular
shells
past participle
shelled