lay out

verb

laid out; laying out; lays out

transitive verb

1

: display, exhibit

2

: spend

3

a

: to prepare (a corpse) for viewing

b

: to knock flat or unconscious

4

: to plan in detail

lay out a campaign

5

: arrange, design

6

: to mark (work) for drilling, machining, or filing

Synonyms of lay out

• spend
• pay
• give

Examples of lay out in a Sentence

he laid out big bucks for a new lawnmower that runs by itself

the transatlantic balloonists laid out a backup plan in case of an emergency

Recent Examples on the Web

In a series of op-eds, university leaders lay out their efforts to keep college affordable. —John B. King, Washington Post, 3 June 2026

Lawsuits lay out details leading up to shooting The lawsuits lay out a timeline of the events leading up to and throughout the shooting, focusing on how security was handled. —Finch Walker, USA Today, 2 June 2026

The advisory suggests that parents create family media plans that lay out exactly how and when screens can be used in the home and urges health care providers to ask patients about their screen use. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 20 May 2026

That’s when Johnson leans on Troup to play narrator and lay out the details of the investigation. —Jake King-Schreifels, Time, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lay out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Video

Lay vs. Lie

Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference.

Kids Definition

layout

1 of 2 noun

lay·​out ˈlā-ˌau̇t 

1

: plan entry 1 sense 1, arrangement

2

: something laid out

3

: a set or outfit especially of tools

lay out

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)lā-ˈau̇t

1

: plan entry 2 sense 1

lay out a campaign

2

: to arrange for display or for working on

lay out an exhibit

3

: spend sense 1