- [countable, uncountable]
the hard outer part of eggs, nuts, some seeds, and some animals （蛋、堅果、某些種子和某些動物的）殼 
We collected shells on the beach. 我們在海灘拾貝殼。 snail/oyster/clam shells 蝸牛/牡蛎/蛤殼 walnut shells 核桃殼 earrings made out of coconut shell 用椰子殼做的耳墜 the shell of a turtle 烏龜的殼
Extra ExamplesTopics Fish and shellfishb1, Animalsb1Male crabs shed their shells twice a year. 公螃蟹每年蛻殼兩次。 Remove the mussels from their shells. 把贻貝從殼中取出。 The snail went back into its shell. 蝸牛縮回殼裏。 There was a hard outer shell and a tough inner shell. 有堅硬的外殼和堅韌的内殼。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- empty
- hard
- outer
- …
- have
- come out of
- emerge from
- …
- [countable]
any object that looks like the shell of a snail or sea creature 殼狀物 pasta shells 貝殼形意大利面
- [countable]
a metal case filled with explosive, to be fired from a large gun 炮彈 mortar/artillery shells 迫擊炮/炮彈 A shell burst only yards away from us. 一顆炮彈在距離我們僅幾碼處爆炸。 Several empty shell casings were found in the area. 在該地區發現了幾個空彈殼。
Extra ExamplesTopics War and conflictc2Two shells hit the roof. 兩顆炮彈擊中了房頂。 They braved heavy shell fire to rescue the wounded. 他們冒着猛烈的炮火去搶救傷員。 The telltale sound of an incoming shell was heard. 能清晰地聽到炮彈正呼嘯而來。 a heap of spent brass shells from a machine gun 一堆廢舊的機關槍銅彈殼
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- unexploded
- spent
- anti-aircraft
- …
- load
- fire
- fly
- fall
- land
- …
- fire
- shock
- case
- …
- (North American English) (also cartridge British and North American English)[countable]
a tube or case containing explosive and a bullet or shot, for shooting from a gun 炮彈 - [countable]
the walls or outer structure of something, for example, an empty building or ship after a fire or a bomb attack （房屋或船舶等的）骨架，框架，殼體 The house was now a shell gutted by flames. 房子燒得只剩個空骨架了。 - (figurative)
My life has been an empty shell since he died. 他死後，我的生活就成了一個徒有其表的空殼子。 The fire reduced the school to a hollow shell. 學校燒得只剩個空骨架了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- concrete
- burned-out
- empty
- …
- [countable]
any structure that forms a hard outer frame （任何物體的）外殼，殼體 the body shell of a car 車身外殼
- [singular]
the outer layer of somebody’s personality; how they seem to be or feel （人的）表面性格，表面人格，表面感情，外表 She had developed a shell of indifference. 她養成一副冷漠的外表。 She had built up a protective shell around herself. 她給自己建了個“保護殼”，躲了進去。
Word OriginOld English scell (noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schel ‘scale, shell’, also to scale ‘thin plates that cover the skin of many fish and reptiles’. The verb dates from the mid 16th cent. in sense (2).
Idioms
come out of your shell
to become less shy and more confident when talking to other people （和人交談時）放大膽子，不縮手縮腳 He’s really come out of his shell since he met Marie. 自遇到瑪麗以後，他真的變開朗了。
to go, retreat, etc. into your shell
to become shyer and avoid talking to other people 變得羞怯（或内向、孤僻） Whenever my friends are here, she just withdraws into her shell. 每當我的朋友在這裏時，她就退縮到她的殼裏。