OUTLAYS Synonyms: 46 Similar and Opposite Words

outlays 1 of 2

noun

plural of outlay

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

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outlays

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of outlay

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

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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

Noun

In the first 10 months of the 2026 fiscal year, interest costs have eclipsed Medicare healthcare outlays to become the second-largest line item in the federal budget, behind the Social Security pension system. — Reuters, NBC news, 19 Aug. 2026 In the first 10 months of the 2026 fiscal year, interest costs have eclipsed Medicare health care outlays to become the second-largest line-item in the federal budget, behind the Social Security pension system. — David Lawder, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 Additionally, the budget took a $99 billion hit because the first of the month was a nonbusiness day, accelerating various benefits outlays as well as Supplemental Security Income and Medicare payments. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026 Defense Department military spending rose $39 billion (5%) on personnel and R&D; Veterans Affairs outlays rose $34 billion (11%) on more beneficiaries and higher per-person costs. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026 In 1945, 84 percent of federal outlays were on defense, a tsunami of spending that would ebb once World War II concluded. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2026 The company still expects capital expenditures in excess of $25 billion this year, and executives are now predicting even larger outlays going forward. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 July 2026 The top 20% of the income distribution now accounts for nearly 60% of all personal outlays, up from about half in the early 1990s. — Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for outlays

Noun

The district's diesel expenses have exceeded tens of thousands of dollars in extra costs, Deans said, also noting that several of the district's vehicles also run on gasoline.

— Chilekasi Adele, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Please keep in mind that this will be the only gofundme set up going directly to his expenses.

— Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of expenses

Verb

Teng spends time with Mark Perlmutter, a North Carolina surgeon who, like Teng’s other subjects, volunteers in Gaza, treating the many who have been severely injured in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Cuomo spends a lot of the album chewing over a middle-aged indecisiveness that mirrors the journey of his fans, adding a drolly poignant tinge to a warmly familiar sound.

— Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of spends

Noun

But while Bessent’s threat could put China front and center, the repercussions could reach across the world – even for American consumers, who could find their own energy costs rising as a result.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
The latter has so far had little effect on borrowing costs, with yields climbing back up not long after last week’s announcement.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of costs

Verb

China also pays plasma donors, but caps donations at every fortnight, up to 24 times a year – far fewer times than the US, where donors can roll up their sleeves up to twice a week, 104 times a year.

— CNN Staff, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
If their income is between one and two times the federal poverty level, Central Health pays the balance of their monthly premium after federal tax credits have been applied.

— Olivia Aldridge, NPR, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of pays

Noun

Yet, despite decades of effort and millions in capital expenditures, true end-to-end lineage across a complex enterprise mosaic of custom builds and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products remained an elusive goal.

— Barney Krishnan, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Traders will also get the latest reading on the personal consumption expenditures price index, which is slated for release next Wednesday.

— Sean Conlon,Hugh Leask, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of expenditures

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outlaying

outlays

outlet

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Style

“Outlays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlays. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of outlays

noun

verb

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