SHELL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shell mean? 

• SHELL (noun)
  The noun SHELL has 10 senses:

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

2. the material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals

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

4. the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts

5. the exterior covering of a bird's egg

6. a rigid covering that envelops an object

7. a very light narrow racing boat

8. the housing or outer covering of something

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

10. the hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc or a brachiopod

  Familiarity information: SHELL used as a noun is familiar.

• SHELL (verb)
  The verb SHELL has 8 senses:

1. use explosives on

2. create by using explosives

3. fall out of the pod or husk

4. hit the pitches of hard and regularly

5. look for and collect shells by the seashore

6. come out better in a competition, race, or conflict

7. remove from its shell or outer covering

8. remove the husks from

  Familiarity information: SHELL used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHELL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

ammo; ammunition (projectiles to be fired from a gun)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shell"):

artillery shell (a shell fired by artillery)

shotgun shell (a shell containing lead shot; used in shotguns)

shrapnel (shell containing lead pellets that explodes in flight)

tank shell (a shell fired by the cannon on a tank)

whizbang; whizbang shell; whizzbang (a small high-velocity shell; it makes a whizzing sound followed by a bang when it hits)

Derivation:

shell (use explosives on)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

animal material (material derived from animals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shell"):

mother-of-pearl; nacre (the iridescent internal layer of a mollusk shell)

Holonyms ("shell" is a substance of...):

carapace; cuticle; shell; shield (hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles)

Derivation:

shell (look for and collect shells by the seashore)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

carapace; cuticle; shell; shield

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

scute (large bony or horny plate as on an armadillo or turtle or the underside of a snake)

Meronyms (substance of "shell"):

shell (the material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shell"):

cuticula (the outer body wall of an insect)

Holonyms ("shell" is a part of...):

arthropod (invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body with an exoskeleton made of chitin)

turtle (any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming)

mollusc; mollusk; shellfish (invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

hull (dry outer covering of a fruit or seed or nut)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shell"):

nutshell (the shell around the kernel of a nut)

Derivation:

shell (remove the husks from)

shell (remove from its shell or outer covering)

shell (fall out of the pod or husk)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The exterior covering of a bird's egg

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

eggshell; shell

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

cover; covering; natural covering (a natural object that covers or envelops)

Holonyms ("shell" is a part of...):

egg; eggs (oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A rigid covering that envelops an object

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Context example:

the satellite is covered with a smooth shell of ice

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

cover; covering; natural covering (a natural object that covers or envelops)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A very light narrow racing boat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

racing shell; shell

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

racing boat (a boat propelled by oarsmen and designed for racing)

Meronyms (parts of "shell"):

sliding seat (rower's seat that slides fore and aft)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shell"):

scull (a racing shell that is propelled by sculls)

racing skiff; single shell (a shell for a single oarsman)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The housing or outer covering of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

case; casing; shell

Context example:

the clock has a walnut case

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

housing (a protective cover designed to contain or support a mechanical component)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shell"):

boot (protective casing for something that resembles a leg)

gear box; gear case; gearbox (the shell (metal casing) in which a train of gears is sealed)

jacket (the tough metal shell casing for certain kinds of ammunition)

Holonyms ("shell" is a part of...):

grandfather clock; longcase clock (a pendulum clock enclosed in a tall narrow case)

Sense 9

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

plate; scale; shell

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

shield (a protective covering or structure)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shell"):

shell plating (the plates covering the frame of a steel ship and corresponding to the planking of a wooden ship)

horseshoe; shoe (U-shaped plate nailed to underside of horse's hoof)

armor plate; armor plating; armour plate; plate armor; plate armour (specially hardened steel plate used to protect fortifications or vehicles from enemy fire)

Sense 10

Meaning:

The hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc or a brachiopod

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("shell" is a kind of...):

cover; covering; natural covering (a natural object that covers or envelops)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shell"):

valve (one of the paired hinged shells of certain molluscs and of brachiopods)

valve (the entire one-piece shell of a snail and certain other molluscs)

scallop shell (a shell of a scallop)

oyster shell (a shell of an oyster)

phragmacone; phragmocone (the thin conical chambered internal shell (either straight or curved) of a belemnite)

seashell (the shell of a marine organism)

clamshell (the shell of a clam)

Derivation:

shell (remove from its shell or outer covering)

shell (look for and collect shells by the seashore)

• SHELL (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Use explosives on

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

blast; shell

Context example:

The enemy has been shelling us all day

Hypernyms (to "shell" is one way to...):

bomb; bombard (throw bombs at or attack with bombs)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shell"):

crump (bombard with heavy shells)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

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

shelling (the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area rather than hit a specific target)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Create by using explosives

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

blast; shell

Context example:

blast a passage through the mountain

Hypernyms (to "shell" is one way to...):

create; make (make or cause to be or to become)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Fall out of the pod or husk

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

The corn shelled

Hypernyms (to "shell" is one way to...):

emerge (come out into view, as from concealment)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

shell (the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Hit the pitches of hard and regularly

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

He shelled the pitcher for eight runs in the first inning

Hypernyms (to "shell" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 5

Meaning:

Look for and collect shells by the seashore

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "shell" is one way to...):

gather (look for (food) in nature)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

shell (the hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc or a brachiopod)

shell (the material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Come out better in a competition, race, or conflict

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

beat; beat out; crush; shell; trounce; vanquish

Context example:

Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game

Hypernyms (to "shell" is one way to...):

defeat; get the better of; overcome (win a victory over)

"Shell" entails doing...:

win (be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious)

Verb group:

beat; circumvent; outfox; outsmart; outwit; overreach (beat through cleverness and wit)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shell"):

rout; spread-eagle; spreadeagle (defeat disastrously)

bat; clobber; cream; drub; lick; thrash (beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight)

outplay (excel or defeat in a game)

immobilise; immobilize (make defenseless)

checkmate; mate (place an opponent's king under an attack from which it cannot escape and thus ending the game)

overmaster; overpower; overwhelm (overcome by superior force)

outfight (to fight better than; get the better of)

best; outdo; outflank; scoop; trump (get the better of)

get over; master; overcome; subdue; surmount (get on top of; deal with successfully)

exceed; outdo; outgo; outmatch; outperform; outstrip; surmount; surpass (be or do something to a greater degree)

cheat; chicane; chouse; jockey; screw; shaft (defeat someone through trickery or deceit)

get the jump (be there first)

get the best; have the best; overcome (overcome, usually through no fault or weakness of the person that is overcome)

whomp (beat overwhelmingly)

mop up; pip; rack up; whip; worst (defeat thoroughly)

eliminate (remove from a contest or race)

walk over (beat easily)

outpoint; outscore (score more points than one's opponents)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sense 7

Meaning:

Remove from its shell or outer covering

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

shell mussels

Hypernyms (to "shell" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shell"):

pod (take something out of its shell or pod)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

shell (the hard largely calcareous covering of a mollusc or a brachiopod)

shell (the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts)

sheller (a worker who removes shells (as of peas or oysters))

Sense 8

Meaning:

Remove the husks from

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

husk; shell

Context example:

husk corn

Hypernyms (to "shell" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

shell (the hard usually fibrous outer layer of some fruits especially nuts)

 Context examples 

A double band of white shells were strung round the centre of it.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A solid contained within either a hard or soft soluble shell, usually prepared from gelatin.

(Capsule Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

He had picked up the shot-gun dropped by Dennin and was thrusting in the shells.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

I likewise broke my right shin against the shell of a snail, which I happened to stumble over, as I was walking alone and thinking on poor England.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

From my note-book I tore out a page, and from the ammunition box took a shot-gun shell.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Using the Cassini data, researchers presented a model structure for Titan, resulting in an improved understanding of the structure of the moon's outer ice shell.

(Ocean on Saturn moon could be as salty as the Dead Sea, NASA)

“They are only opened in both shells,” said I. “Take the top one off, my love.”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The shells are made of a suitable form of gelatin or other substance.

(Capsule Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

The studies indicate an average depth for the ice shell of 11 to 14 miles (18 to 22 kilometers), with a thickness of less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) at the south pole.

(Cassini Sees Heat Below the Icy Surface of Enceladus, NASA)

A capsule that contains an additional outer layer over the capsule shell.

(Coated Capsule Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)