26984 words

shell

16 definitions • 18 examples
1
the hard outer covering of something, especially nuts, eggs, and some animals:

Examples:

Brazil nuts have very hard shells.
A piece of shell fell into the cake mixture.
the shell of a snail/crab/tortoise
a shell necklace (= a piece of jewellery made out of the shells of small sea creatures)
2
the basic outer structure of a building or vehicle, especially when the parts inside have been destroyed or taken or have not yet been made:

Examples:

shell of the shell of a burned-out farmhouse
3
a container, usually with a pointed end, that is filled with explosives and shot from a large gun:

Examples:

artillery/mortar shell Artillery and mortar shells were landing in the outskirts of the city.
4
a type of boat used for racing, driven by people using oars (= poles with flat ends)
5
a company that is used to hide illegal activities:

Examples:

The shell advertised bonds for sale to investors, but this offering was essentially a fraud because no bonds ever existed.
6
to remove peas, nuts, etc. from their shells or their natural covering
7
to fire shells at something:

Examples:

They were under orders to shell the hospital and the town hall.
8
In baseball, if a pitcher (= the player who throws the ball) gets shelled, the batters (= players who try to hit the ball) hit the ball a lot and are able to score a lot of runs (= points):

Examples:

The pitcher was shelled for six runs in the first inning.
He pitched well in spring training, but got shelled when the big games came along.
9
the hard outer covering of nuts, eggs, a few vegetables, and some animals:

Examples:

[ C ] Turtles, snails, and crabs all have shells to protect them.
10
a tube filled with explosives that is fired from a large gun
11
to fire shells at something:
12
to remove the hard outer covering of nuts and other foods:

Examples:

He sits in front of the TV, shelling peanuts.
13
a company that has been created to hide illegal activities:

Examples:

The shell advertised bonds for sale to investors, but this offering was essentially a fraud because no bonds ever existed.
14
a company that has been officially created so that it can be sold to someone who does not want to have to create the company themselves:

Examples:

Most holding company reorganizations involve a merger between the pre-existing company and a shell company.
15
a company that was active in the past, but that now does little or no business, that someone buys so they do not have to create a new company:

Examples:

Maypole was created out of a shell company called Octagon.
16
used to describe an organization that has been created to hide illegal activities:

Examples:

The bill would prevent US banks from opening accounts for foreign shell banks.

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