ʃel
ʃel
1 [countable, uncountable] the hard outer part of eggs, nuts, some seeds and some animalsWe collected shells on the beach.snail shellswalnut shellsearrings made out of coconut shell see also eggshell, nutshell, seashell, tortoiseshell2 [countable] any object that looks like the shell of a snail or sea creaturepasta shells3 [countable] a metal case filled with explosive, to be fired from a large gunA shell burst only yards away from us.4 (North American English) = cartridge5 [countable] the walls or outer structure of something, for example, an empty building or ship after a fire or a bomb attackThe house was now a shell gutted by flames. (figurative) My life has been an empty shell since he died.6 [countable] any structure that forms a hard outer framethe body shell of a car7 [singular] the outer layer of somebody's personality; how they seem to be or feelShe had developed a shell of indifference.Idioms
come out of your shell
to become less shy and more confident when talking to other people
He's really come out of his shell since he met Marie.to go, retreat, etc. into your shell
to become shyer and avoid talking to other people
Whenever my friends are here, she just withdraws into her shell.