- shell
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun1 on eggs/nuts/some animalsADJECTIVE▪ empty, hard, outer, protective, thick▪
She had built up a protective shell around herself. (figurative)
▪ broken▪ egg (usually eggshell)▪ sea (usually seashell)▪ conch, cowrie, mussel, oyster, snail, tortoise (usually tortoiseshell)▪ coconut, peanut, walnutVERB + SHELL▪ have▪creatures that have shells
▪ come out of, emerge from (both often figurative)▪He's really come out of his shell since he met Marie.
▪ go (back) into, retreat into, withdraw into (all often figurative)▪The snail went back into its shell.
▪ remove sth from▪Remove the mussels from their shells.
▪ break (open), crack (open)▪ shed▪Male crabs shed their shells twice a year.
2 explosive weaponADJECTIVE▪ unexploded▪ spent▪a heap of spent brass shells from a machine gun
▪ anti-aircraft, artillery, cannon, mortar, shotgun, tank▪ depleted uranium, high-explosive▪tank-busting guns that fired depleted uranium shells
▪ incoming▪The telltale sound of an incoming shell was heard.
VERB + SHELL▪ load▪ fireSHELL + VERB▪ fly▪A shell flew over his head and exploded in front of him.
▪ fall, land▪ burst, crash, explode▪ hit sth, strike sth▪Two shells hit the roof.
SHELL + NOUN▪ fire▪They braved heavy shell fire to rescue the wounded.
▪ shock▪soldiers suffering from shell shock
▪ case, casing, fragments, splinter▪ crater3 outer walls of a buildingADJECTIVE▪ concrete▪ burned-out, empty, hollow (all often figurative)▪The fire reduced the school to a hollow shell.
▪{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}I had become a hollow shell.
verb
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
