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
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Recent Examples of outlay
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
The island’s legislature is considering a record defense outlay, but domestic political rivalries threaten to derail that effort.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for outlay
Noun
The result also justified the initial outlay.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
The island’s legislature is considering a record defense outlay, but domestic political rivalries threaten to derail that effort.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
Vasquez then asked if the RDA had outlaid any money for LaPorte County for shoreline development.
—Shelley Jones, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for outlay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outlay
Noun
-
The victim’s family launched an online fundraiser to help pay his funeral expenses.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
One alderman who employs pension-eligible part-time staffers showed the Tribune ward expense reports from 2024 and 2025 that did not account for their pension costs.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Factor in a tax multiplier for those who repeatedly spend past the salary cap, and payroll expenses can include hundreds of millions in taxes.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
How in the world had my mother, a young Black woman and the eldest of four, raised by two parents who had never finished high school in a segregated town in southwestern Louisiana, spent a summer in Europe in the 1960s?—
Shayla Martin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some of Miranda’s constituents are still fighting the city’s stadium plan, including its cost to taxpayers, which grew again in February to $135 million.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
According to WebMD, the average cost of a single DEXA scan paid out of pocket is roughly $160 to $175, but other sites put the average closer to $300 per scan.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Many players also opt for deferrals and large signing bonuses (as opposed to a higher salary) to avoid paying income tax in certain states.—
Dan Sheldon,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The paying public went from raucous to delirious on the next possession, when Curry raced downcourt and splashed a triple off the dribble.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In his budget plan for the 2026-27 fiscal year, Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed to reduce expenditures for the state’s biodiversity conservation program as well as the enforcement division of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which employs game wardens and wildlife officers.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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The February personal consumption expenditures index — the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — is due Thursday and will offer an early read on whether the oil shock is feeding through to prices in the world’s largest economy.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlay. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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