shell

1 of 2

noun

plural shells
1
a
: a hard rigid usually largely calcareous covering or support of an animal
b
: the hard or tough often thin outer covering of an egg (as of a bird or reptile) see egg illustration
2
: the covering or outside part of a fruit or seed especially when hard or fibrous
3
: shell material (as of mollusks or turtles) or their substance
4
: something that resembles a shell: such as
a
: a framework or exterior structure
especially : a building with an unfinished interior
b(1)
: an external case or outside covering
the shell of a ship
(2)
: a thin usually spherical layer or surface enclosing a space or surrounding an object
an expanding shell of gas around a neutron star
c
: a casing without substance
mere effigies and shells of menThomas Carlyle
d
: an edible outer layer of usually baked or fried pastry dough or bread for holding a filling
a pastry shell
a taco salad in a tortilla shell
f
: a small beer glass
g
: an unlined article of outerwear
5
: a shell-bearing mollusk
6
: an impersonal attitude or manner that conceals the presence or absence of feeling
he retreated into his shell
7
: a narrow light racing boat propelled by one or more persons pulling oars or sculls
8
: any of the regions occupied by the orbits of a group of electrons of approximately equal energy surrounding the nucleus of an atom
9
a
: a projectile for cannon containing an explosive bursting charge
b
: a case (as of metal, paper, or plastic) that holds the charge of powder and shot or bullet used with breech-loading small arms
a shotgun shell
compare cartridge
10
: a plain usually sleeveless blouse or sweater
11
: a company or corporation that exists without assets or independent operations as a legal entity through which another company or corporation can conduct various dealings
shell adjective

shell

2 of 2

verb

shelled; shelling; shells

transitive verb

1
a
: to take out of a natural enclosing cover (such as a shell, husk, pod, or capsule)
shell peanuts
b
: to separate the kernels of (corn, wheat, oats, etc.) from the cob, ear, or husk
2
: to throw shells at, upon, or into : bombard
3
: to score heavily against (someone, such as an opposing pitcher in baseball)

intransitive verb

1
: to fall or scale off in thin pieces
2
: to cast the shell or exterior covering : fall out of the pod or husk
nuts which shell in falling
3
: to gather shells (as from a beach)

Examples of shell in a Sentence

Noun the shell of a crab We collected shells at the beach. We're going to have stuffed shells for dinner. Verb They shelled the enemy troops. The town was shelled during the battle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The dancers sound their rattles and maracas accompanied by the rhythm of musicians playing drums and blowing conch shells. Trilce Estrada Olvera, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024 In one statement on Saturday, Hamas said members of its Qassam Brigades had fired mortar shells at Israeli forces near Al-Shifa. Ameera Harouda, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024 Then her Serbian husband, Uroš Simić, shows me the best way to puff up roti shells. Heather Greenwood Davis, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024 Or you can be mesmerized by someone painstakingly dropping dots of olive oil into a scallop shell, around a circle of sliced live diver scallop in a deeply savory soy-lime aguachile sauce. Shauna Lyon, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024 Ahmed was struck by a tank shell and bled to death, Qaoud said. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 When to clean bird feeders Fungus and bacteria aren’t always visible to the naked eye, and the growth can happen inside the seed of a shell. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Mar. 2024 But by some sorcery, my fingerprints do not show on the outer shell of the laptop at all. USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024 At their events for fashion brands like Loewe and Chanel, there are carrots sculpted into tiny nautilus shells, pickled daikon sliced into scalloped flowers and mini-zucchinis engraved with intricate patterns. Alexa Brazilian Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
The regime shelled the city, reducing neighborhoods to rubble. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 The Ukrainian National Guard engaged Russian forces outside the plant, but soon shelling from Russian tanks started a fire, which continued to burn as Russian troops blocked firefighters from entering the plant’s perimeter. Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024 Multiple towns across Donetsk oblast, or region, came under Russian bombardment on Feb. 24, while the front line was shelled more than 1,600 times during the same 24-hour period. Katya Soldak, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 These spots were repairs to the wall from shelling. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024 Russian warplanes have been dropping about 60 bombs a day, relentlessly shelling the area and launching assaults with armor and infantry, the brigade said. Illia Novikov and Barry Hatton, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Feb. 2024 Russian forces shelled the industrial city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine around midnight on Feb. 25, decimating its railway station. Katya Soldak, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Since Hamas killed around 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages, and Israel retaliated by shelling Gaza, leaving more than 26,000 dead, there has been a sense within the Democratic Party of a divide that cannot be bridged, an eruption of ill feeling that will not dissipate. Ross Barkan, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024 The area was evacuated after Hezbollah began shelling northern Israel, shortly after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. NBC News, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English sciell; akin to Old English scealu shell, Old Norse skel, Lithuanian skelti to split, Greek skallein to hoe

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1562, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of shell was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near shell

Cite this Entry

“Shell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shell. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shell

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a hard stiff covering of an animal (as a turtle or beetle)
b
: the outer covering of an egg (as of a bird or reptile)
2
: the outer covering of a nut, fruit, or seed especially when hard or tough
3
: shell material or shells especially of mollusks
4
: something like a shell: as
a
: a framework or outside structure
b
: a bottom crust for a pie
a pastry shell
c
: a concrete arched roof (as over an outdoor stage)
a band shell
5
: a way of behaving that hides one's feelings
coming out of one's shell
6
: a shell-bearing mollusk
7
: a narrow light racing boat rowed by one or more persons using long oars
8
a
: an object filled with an explosive to be shot from cannon
b
: a metal or paper case holding the explosive charge and shot or bullet used in small arms
shell adjective

shell

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to remove from a natural enclosing cover (as a shell or husk) : shuck
shell peas
b
: to remove the grains from (as an ear of corn)
2
: to shoot shells at or upon
3
: to fall out of the pod or husk
4
: to collect shells (as from a beach)

More from Merriam-Webster on shell

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