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

In short, economizing on non-defense outlays simply has to bring mandatory spending under review. —Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026

Or that its luxury-tax outlay sits at less than half of San Diego’s. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 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
• 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