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

Netflix would have paid nearly $83 billion, and given its resources, would have had more to outlay on live sports. —Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026

Microsoft plans to outlay $4 billion in the next five years worldwide. —Paresh Dave, Wired News, 24 Dec. 2025

Noun

And if the interest expense on our gigantic and ballooning national debt of $39 trillion weren’t already running at nearly $1 trillion a year, bigger than Medicare spending and equaling two-thirds of Social Security outlays, the half-point upward shift would likely prove manageable. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 30 May 2026

Slot had to deal with the tragic loss of forward Diogo Jota in a car crash in Spain last July and there were problems integrating new signings following a £450million spending spree, the biggest outlay in a single window in the club’s history. —James Pearce, New York Times, 30 May 2026

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
• assez
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway

Kids Definition

outlay

noun

out·​lay

ˈau̇t-ˌlā

1

: the act of spending

2

: an amount spent : payment