outlay

1 of 2

verb

out·​lay ˈau̇t-ˌlā 

ˌau̇t-ˈlā

outlaid ˈau̇t-ˌlād 

ˌau̇t-ˈlād

; outlaying

transitive verb

: to lay out (money) : expend

outlay

2 of 2

noun

out·​lay ˈau̇t-ˌlā 

1

: the act of expending

2

: expenditure, payment

outlays for national defense

Synonyms of outlay

Verb

• spend
• pay

Noun

• expense
• cost
• expenditure

Examples of outlay in a Sentence

Verb

the nation had outlaid nearly 20 billion dollars on social programs at that point

Noun

The initial outlay for the program will be 2.4 million dollars.

Maintaining a horse requires considerable outlay.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Vasquez then asked if the RDA had outlaid any money for LaPorte County for shoreline development. —Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025

Linear ratings are in decline and ad demand has been muted for several quarters owing to economic unrest and changes in how Madison Avenue outlays its dollars for media. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024

Noun

The relentless capital expenditures, much of which is coming via debt, have made Wall Street nervous about whether AI companies will be able to translate all those outlays into sustainable revenue and profits. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2025

Nvidia has reported strong growth over the past year, particularly as hyperscalers such as Microsoft and IBM allocate billions of dollars toward capital outlays for semiconductors and other materials to power advanced artificial intelligence applications. —Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1802, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1798, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for outlay

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

outlay

noun

out·​lay

ˈau̇t-ˌlā

1

: the act of spending

2

: an amount spent : payment