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

The report said the capital outlay needed to meet total data center demand by 2030 will be nearly $7 trillion. — Diana Olick, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

The Lawrence deal changed the Bengals’ math this offseason, and de facto general manager Duke Tobin spoke before training camp about the future outlays and challenges in completing those deals. — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 10 Sep. 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