EN

Synonyms for shell

36 synonyms
2 antonyms
6 meanings

noun
verb

Most common

carapace shield cuticle casing case plate grenade

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

1. Carapace

carapace, shield, cuticle

2. Casing

3. Plate

4. Grenade

grenade, shrapnel, bombard, bomb dated

Other

conch, cowrie, eggshell, torpedo, testa, periwinkle, mail, framework, test, shale, armature, shell-like

Verb

1. Beat out

beat out, crush, beat, trounce, vanquish

2. Husk

husk, hull, pod, shuck, capsule, peel

Other

Antonyms

All antonyms of shell →

Definitions

n. 1
A hard external covering of an animal. The calcareous or chitinous external covering of mollusks, crustaceans, and some other invertebrates.
Genuine mother-of-pearl buttons are made from sea shells.
n. 2
A hard external covering of an animal. Any mollusk having such a covering.
v. 1
To remove the outer covering or shell of something.
v. 2
To bombard, to fire projectiles at, especially with artillery.
The guns shelled the enemy trenches.

Related words

Word family: shellac shellback shellbark shellcracker shellfish shellfisherman shellflower shell-less
Phrases: shell out shell company shell parakeet pilgrim's shell shell shock jingle shell shell jacket shell script

Forms

Plural: shells → carapaces, shields, cuticles, casings…
Past participle: shelled
e.g. shelled → crushed, beaten, trounced, vanquished…

Example sentences

shield The goddess gave the warrior a sword and a shield.
cuticle Desert plants coat themselves in a thick, waxy cuticle to keep in water.
carapace In the terrarium lived a millipede with a shiny carapace.
casing The casing of the traditional dagger is made of leather.
plate Does the license plate of your car begin with ABC?
grenade The grenade exploded five metres from the soldier.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
shell		falling
shield		steady
cuticle		falling
carapace		falling
casing		falling
plate		falling

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: pod¹
4 letters: case¹, test¹, beat¹, mail¹, bomb¹, hull¹, peel¹, husk¹, welk¹
5 letters: scale¹, plate¹, blast¹, crush¹, shale¹, conch¹, testa², shuck¹
6 letters: shield¹, casing², cowrie
7 letters: capsule², grenade², torpedo³, cuticle³, bombard², trounce¹
8 letters: shrapnel², carapace, vanquish², eggshell², armature
9 letters: framework²
10 letters: periwinkle

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (testa² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: coquille