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
ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
The 58-page resolution calls for total federal spending of $60 trillion in on-budget outlays over the next decade and nearly $80 trillion in total outlays when spending on Social Security and the Postal Service are included, according to a summary table produced by the Senate Budget Committee.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 21 Apr. 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
Kennedy cited a Congressional Budget Office report showing that Medicaid outlays are estimated to increase by about 47% over the next decade.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
The 58-page resolution calls for total federal spending of $60 trillion in on-budget outlays over the next decade and nearly $80 trillion in total outlays when spending on Social Security and the Postal Service are included, according to a summary table produced by the Senate Budget Committee.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 21 Apr. 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
-
While the emotional weight of a mother defending her child is undeniable, supporters of Save Girls’ Sports argue compassion for one athlete should not come at the expense of opportunities for other young women.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
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The state would manage all medical insurance — more efficiently and at less consumer expense, advocates insist.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The neighborhood It’d be easy to spend a week around Nay Palad’s beachfront area, alternating between dips in the pool, reading books in a hammock, and tours around the gin-clear water in a see-through kayak—but on-the-up Siargao is well worth exploring.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
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What this narrative neglects are all the ways treatment might cause terrible side effects, or the long period one spends being sick, and how one’s identity may have changed in the interim.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Noun
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The heavy context makes Marseille a particularly forbidding environment for young players, which Ethan Nwaneri has discovered to his cost since arriving on loan from Arsenal in January.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
When the legislative session began earlier this year, Connecticut lawmakers pledged to focus on affordability and cost, seeking to keep the state on track as national economic uncertainty persists — and as a number of consumer costs, ranging from healthcare to energy, were on the rise.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The parliamentarian kept most of the immigration portion of the legislation intact, though some minor provisions were blocked, including Customs and Border Patrol funds to hire, train and pay Border Patrol agents.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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The court also ordered them to pay Djena nearly three hundred thousand dollars in restitution.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Capital expenditure from the country’s largest tech firms could add up to some $700 billion this year, largely driven by commitments to build the data centers and other infrastructure required to train, deploy, and maintain AI models.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
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This mission led to a 2025 law that requires streaming services with more than 1 million Australian subscribers to invest 10% of their total expenditure for the country on local content.—
Leila Berger,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outlay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlay. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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