shell
Noun:
- A hard protective outer covering: A rigid, often hard layer that encloses and protects something, such as an animal, egg, fruit, or nut.
- An explosive projectile: A cylindrical piece of ammunition containing an explosive charge and a projectile, fired from a large gun.
- A hollow structure or framework: The external structure or housing of an object, such as a building, boat, or case.
- A light racing boat: A very narrow, lightweight boat used for racing.
Verb:
- To remove a shell: To take something out of its hard outer covering.
- To bombard with explosive shells: To fire explosive projectiles at a target.
- To collect seashells: To look for and gather shells from a beach.
- To defeat decisively: To beat an opponent thoroughly in a competition.
- To fall out of a pod: For seeds or nuts to separate naturally from their husk.
Noun:
- The hermit crab searched for a new shell to live in.
- Artillery fire echoed as another shell landed in the distance.
- Only the charred shell of the building remained after the fire.
Verb:
- Please shell these peanuts for the recipe.
- The battleship began to shell the enemy coastline.
- We walked along the shore to shell for clams and scallops.
"to come out of one's shell": To become less shy and more willing to talk to or interact with other people.
- After joining the drama club, she really came out of her shell.
"to retreat/withdraw into one's shell": To become more shy, quiet, or uncommunicative.
- After the criticism, he retreated into his shell for weeks.
"shell entity/company": A company that exists as a legal entity but has no significant assets or operations, often used for specific financial purposes.
- The investment was held through an offshore shell company.
Shelling (n): The act of bombarding a target with explosive shells.
- The constant shelling forced civilians to flee the city.
Shelled (adj): Describes something that has had its shell removed or something that possesses a shell.
- We bought shelled pistachios. / Turtles are shelled reptiles.
Shell-like (adj): Resembling a shell in shape, often used poetically.
- He whispered into her shell-like ear.
- Noun (for covering): Carapace, husk, casing, hull, crust.
- Verb (to bombard): Bombard, barrage, blitz.
Shell out (for something): (Informal) To pay a lot of money for something, often reluctantly.
- I had to shell out $500 for car repairs.
Shell off: To remove or peel off in layers like a shell.
- The old paint was shelling off in large flakes.
A shell of one's former self: Someone or something that has lost the qualities that made them strong, healthy, or effective, and is now much weaker.
- After his long illness, he was just a shell of his former self.
Go into one's shell: Similar to "retreat into one's shell"; to become quiet and uncommunicative.
- Whenever the conversation turns to politics, he just goes into his shell.
- the hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc or a brachiopod
- a metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)
- the housing or outer covering of something
- the clock has a walnut case
- a very light narrow racing boat
- a rigid covering that envelops an object
- the satellite is covered with a smooth shell of ice
- the exterior covering of a bird's egg
- the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts
- hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles
- the material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals
- ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
- remove the husks from
- husk corn
- remove from its shell or outer covering
- shell the legumes
- shell mussels
- come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
- Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship
- We beat the competition
- Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game
- look for and collect shells by the seashore
- hit the pitches of hard and regularly
- He shelled the pitcher for eight runs in the first inning
- fall out of the pod or husk
- The corn shelled
- create by using explosives
- blast a passage through the mountain
- use explosives on
- The enemy has been shelling us all day