Meaning & use
shell
A hard outer covering that protects an animal, egg, seed, or nut.
See it in a sentence
The crab retreated into its shell the moment it sensed danger.
She cracked the shell carefully to avoid breaking the yolk inside.
A note on using this word
Also used figuratively for a person's emotional guard, as in come out of one's shell, meaning to become less shy.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. noun
An explosive artillery projectile fired from a large gun.
The old fort still had a shell embedded in its stone wall from the war.
3. verb
To attack a place with heavy explosive gunfire.
Enemy forces shelled the town for three days before the ceasefire was announced.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shell”, then compare your use with the examples above.