as in expense
a payment made in the course of achieving a result
the outlays for the couple's upcoming wedding seem to be multiplying at an incredible rate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to spend
to hand over or use up in payment
the nation had outlaid nearly 20 billion dollars on social programs at that point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outlay
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
Spending on restaurants and cafes is among the biggest category of consumer outlays in the kingdom, with $2 billion spent in August — nearly 12% of total spending captured from payment machines, according to Saudi Central Bank data.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
With resources at a premium, now is the time to reassess products and services, perhaps remarket or rebrand and, most importantly, determine how best to outlay capital.
—Noelle Federico, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for outlay
Noun
Between 2022 and 2024, Moscow allocated at least $263 billion to defence outlays — approximately 7% of GDP annually — transforming a massive portion of its economy into a military-industrial complex on a scale that is unprecedented since the Cold War.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
Spending on restaurants and cafes is among the biggest category of consumer outlays in the kingdom, with $2 billion spent in August — nearly 12% of total spending captured from payment machines, according to Saudi Central Bank data.
—Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
With resources at a premium, now is the time to reassess products and services, perhaps remarket or rebrand and, most importantly, determine how best to outlay capital.
—Noelle Federico, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for outlay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outlay
Noun
-
Mark Blinch / Getty Images In the ninth inning of a Game 1 romp, fans at Rogers Centre had some fun at Shohei Ohtani’s expense.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Donations will go toward assisting the Sullivan family with funeral expenses and the recovery process.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Veteran Daniele Rugani, who spent last season on loan at Ajax, showed his experience against Kylian Mbappe and maybe that his recent contract renewal was worthwhile after all.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
What started as a weekend hobby quickly grew into a full-fledged business, and Molski, who has since retired from healthcare sales, couldn't be happier to spend his weekends hunting and restoring vintage pieces.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That's how people buy aviation—safety and cost.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Daylight saving time was introduced in the United States in 1918 with the Standard Time Act, which was meant to lower fuel costs during the First World War.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Lowdown is paying tribute to its late star, Graham Greene.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Their separation came five years after the couple were entangled in the Operation Varsity Blues scandal, pleading guilty to wire and mail fraud related to paying hundreds of thousands in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While shipment volumes on US-China e-commerce routes have decreased by 65 percent, over half of small enterprises report greater expenditures as a result of tariffs.—
Vitalii Savryha,
Sourcing Journal,
21 Oct. 2025
-
That’s likely to fuel further capital expenditure in tech, particularly as dealmaking in the AI sector remains fierce.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlay. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share