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
Hudson Lockett, Reuters, 11 Sep. 2025
New spending data on Saudi gigaprojects confirm that the kingdom is moving faster on Riyadh and Red Sea developments, while slowing the pace of NEOM outlays.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 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
Capital outlays are rising, but its last attempt to tap equity markets for 500 billion yen in November was abysmal.
—Hudson Lockett, Reuters, 11 Sep. 2025
New spending data on Saudi gigaprojects confirm that the kingdom is moving faster on Riyadh and Red Sea developments, while slowing the pace of NEOM outlays.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 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
-
All the horses' feed is paid for by Metro Nashville and the handler is given a $2,500 annual stipend for medical expenses.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In addition to the great expense, many of the shows revolved around songs from old movies and movie musicals.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
That year, the board hired Pat Gelsinger, an engineer who had spent 30 years at Intel before leaving it for other companies and eventually running VMware.—
Lila MacLellan,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Elordi spent up to 10 hours per session in the makeup chair and worked 18-hour days in full prosthetics.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
People would be wise to consider the ever-increasing cost of homes in the area before selling their property due to immigration enforcement fears, Gonzalez said.—
Juan Cordoba,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
-
This is the cost of having been tortured in public.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The state made a similar deal with the white owners of a nearby daycare that had to close due to flooding -- but ALDOT paid those property owners $165,000 for a portion of their property.—
Maia Rosenfeld,
ABC News,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Typically, financial advisors are paid via commission, fees or a hybrid of the two.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Investors saw this in quarterly earnings reports from Club holdings Meta Platforms, Amazon, and other Big Tech names, which raised their capital expenditures.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Some 84 percent of the defense budget is classified and actual military spending can be hidden within other types of expenditure, Reuters reported.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlay. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share