as in expenses
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 spends
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 outlays
Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
These two outlays contribute costs of $461 billion and $70 billion respectively.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
Multiple potential investors expressed concerns to Sportico about the economic structure of the league that would require significant initial outlays for the franchise fee and infrastructure needs, and then have the NBA retain 50% of the entity.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The latest estimate revised several output categories lower, including exports, consumer spending and government outlays.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
Nebius Chief Executive Officer Arkady Volozh said his company relies chiefly on Nvidia’s chips and that the new investment is a small portion of its outlays.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Fast forward to 2025 when the total outlays are now north of $7 trillion a year, more than a 360% increase in national spending in the 30 years since term limits were wrested from the American public.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
The sharp slowdown in government outlays because of the shutdown shaved a full percentage point from growth.
—Matt Ott, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Sacramento’s schools have been teetering on the edge of insolvency for years due to outlays that are markedly greater than income.
—Dan Walters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Noun
In short, economizing on non-defense outlays simply has to bring mandatory spending under review.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026
These two outlays contribute costs of $461 billion and $70 billion respectively.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
Multiple potential investors expressed concerns to Sportico about the economic structure of the league that would require significant initial outlays for the franchise fee and infrastructure needs, and then have the NBA retain 50% of the entity.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The latest estimate revised several output categories lower, including exports, consumer spending and government outlays.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 13 Mar. 2026
Nebius Chief Executive Officer Arkady Volozh said his company relies chiefly on Nvidia’s chips and that the new investment is a small portion of its outlays.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Fast forward to 2025 when the total outlays are now north of $7 trillion a year, more than a 360% increase in national spending in the 30 years since term limits were wrested from the American public.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
The sharp slowdown in government outlays because of the shutdown shaved a full percentage point from growth.
—Matt Ott, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Sacramento’s schools have been teetering on the edge of insolvency for years due to outlays that are markedly greater than income.
—Dan Walters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outlays
Noun
-
The victim’s family launched an online fundraiser to help pay his funeral expenses.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The retailer, however, acknowledged that the Middle East conflict was beginning to feed into costs, particularly through higher transportation expenses in some markets, adding that earlier adjustments to production and logistics have helped cushion supply chain risks.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Orion crew spends first day in space NASA's Orion spacecraft is pictured from one of the cameras mounted on its solar array wings on April 7.—
Mark Osborne,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
10 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
-
The list price starts at a little over 12,000 for 200 milligram dosage, but the amount someone actually pays varies greatly.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The Pickford Award pays tribute to alumni whose achievements bring special distinction to the university and the industry.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Keeping deficits in check typically involves reducing expenditures, increasing taxes, or both.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 Apr. 2026
-
To ensure this does not happen again, M-DCPS and the School Board implemented additional safeguards for all credit card expenditures.—
CBS Miami Team,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outlays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlays. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
