Synonyms of layout

layout 1 of 2

noun

ˈlā-ˌau̇t 

1

as in format

the way in which something is sized, arranged, or organized

the decorator changed the layout of the living room three times before declaring it finished

Synonyms & Similar Words

• format
• formation
• arrangement
• design
• setup
• configuration
• composition
• structure
• plan
• conformation
• setout
• scheme
• construction
• build
• makeup
• constitution
• getup

2

as in design

the way in which the elements of something (as a work of art) are arranged

the layout of his portraits typically consists of a finely drawn subject against a roughly sketched background

Synonyms & Similar Words

• design
• format
• composition
• pattern
• theme
• arrangement
• motif
• configuration
• form
• makeup
• constellation
• getup
• ordonnance

lay out

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to spend

to hand over or use up in payment

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spend
• pay
• give
• shell out
• expend
• disburse
• fork (over, out, or up)
• outlay
• drop
• throw away
• run through
• lavish
• rain
• waste
• dissipate
• blow
• fritter (away)
• squander

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• save
• lay up
• make
• realize
• secure
• win
• acquire
• gain
• earn
• hoard
• procure
• cache
• garner

2

as in to plan

to work out the details of (something) in advance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plan
• prepare
• design
• organize
• arrange
• calculate
• plot
• chart
• budget
• devise
• scheme (out)
• shape
• outline
• project
• map (out)
• blueprint
• choreograph
• strategize (about)
• frame
• draft
• get up
• have on
• put up
• contemplate
• concert
• intend
• sketch
• figure
• conspire
• aim
• contrive
• mean
• intrigue
• machinate
• meditate
• premeditate

3

as in to classify

to put into a particular arrangement

plants in the botanical gardens are laid out according to biogeographic region

Synonyms & Similar Words

• classify
• arrange
• organize
• order
• draw up
• dispose
• array
• range
• systematize
• codify
• marshal
• place
• make up
• straighten (up)
• set out
• groom
• line up
• sequence
• spruce (up)
• display
• align
• file
• line
• tidy (up)
• set
• cue
• hierarchize
• queue
• prioritize
• map (out)
• unscramble
• alphabetize
• emplace

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• upset
• disarray
• mess (up)
• disarrange
• disorder
• derange
• muss (up)
• rumple

4

as in to display

to present so as to invite notice or attention

for the historic celebration, the museum laid out its full collection of native artifacts

Synonyms & Similar Words

• display
• exhibit
• show
• flash
• unveil
• show off
• expose
• wave
• announce
• produce
• parade
• flaunt
• sport
• strut
• reveal
• advertise
• tell (of)
• proclaim
• flourish
• talk (about)
• post
• discover
• disport
• broadcast
• air
• publicize
• divulge
• sound
• herald
• bare
• brandish
• blaze
• uncover
• trumpet
• placard
• unmask
• uncloak

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mask
• disguise
• camouflage
• cover
• hide
• conceal
• curtain
• veil
• obscure
• occlude
• enshroud
• shroud
• occult

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of layout

Noun

Common kitchen layout mistakes can make your space dysfunctional and uninviting. — Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 14 Oct. 2026

For hobbyists, having the layout, material estimates, and potential trouble spots in one place helps make resin printing more approachable. — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

For your next craft night, set up the mini canvases on easels, lay out the supplies, turn on a nostalgic Halloween movie, and whip up a few seasonal snacks to munch on for the coziest autumn night. — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2026

That vision quickly gets a lot more ambitious — and a lot more chaotic — as Murdoch and Larry lay out their plans for shaking up the newspaper world. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Video

Lay vs. Lie

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to Ask the Editor. I'm Emily Brewster, an associate editor at Merriam-Webster.
 
Sometimes we tell you that certain grammar rules are little more than the Latin-inspired whims of long dead grammarians. But not so with the verbs lay and lie. This pair is a doozy that's been tripping up English speakers for 700 years.
 
Lay's most common meaning is, to place something or someone down in a flat position. Lie's corresponding meaning is, to be in a flat position on a surface.
 
Lay is transitive. It requires that the verb have an object. There has to be a thing or a person being placed.
- Lay it down.
 
Lie, on the other hand, is intransitive. It's for something or someone moving on their own. Or something or someone that's already in position.
- You can lie down there.
- You can lie there all day.
 
That's tricky enough, but it gets worse when we start using the words beyond the now.
 
Here's lay in context in tenses that show its principal forms.
- I was told to lay the book down.
- I laid it down as I have laid other books down.
- I am laying more books down now.
 
And here's lie.
- I was told to lie down.
- I lay down.
- I have lain here since.
- I'm still lying here.
 
Did you catch that?
 
For lay, we have lay, laid, have laid, laying.
For lie, we have lie, lay, have lain, lying.
 
And then there's the unrelated verb meaning to tell an untruth.
That lie goes, lie, lied, have lied, lying.
 
What fascinates me about all this is that the language has continued to carry a torch for the distinction for 700 years. Enough writers and editors get these right generation after generation, that there continues to be a right and a wrong. It's not because dead grammarians said so, but because people like you get it right, often enough anyway, that it's still how the land lays.
 
I mean lies.
 
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