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
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 1 Apr. 2026
The result also justified the initial outlay.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 26 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
This is a great unit for music production and creative work thanks to its huge outlay of ports and 32GB of DDR5 RAM.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 1 Apr. 2026
The result also justified the initial outlay.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 26 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
-
Some small businesses can handle bookkeeping with spreadsheets, DIY invoicing and ad-hoc expense approvals.—
Dana Miranda,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
-
That same month, the price of Bitcoin — in which most of Borhanian’s life savings was invested, money that was covering much of the group’s expenses at that time — cratered.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2025, the department spent about thirty million dollars paying people not to work.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Los Angeles spent most of Sunday slowing the tempo and trying to drag a faster, better team into the mud with them.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But there are concerns about rising ticket prices and soaring production budgets, fueled by higher costs for labor, materials and energy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The group announced the new mutual aid market on social media, citing community concerns over rising costs as the motivation behind the move.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2025, the department spent about thirty million dollars paying people not to work.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In fact, many retailers find themselves in a similar quandary because tariff refunds will go to whoever paid the actual customs bill.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
So far, Apple's AI strategy has involved avoiding hefty capital expenditures while Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta commit to hundreds of billions of dollars a year in combined capex to fund new data centers and fill them with pricey AI chips.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
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But the endorsement in a safe Democratic district is unlikely to attract the major expenditures and outreach that UNITE HERE has provided in battleground states and districts.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlay. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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