Standard Lemma guide

outlay

noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈaʊtleɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪ
  • /aʊtˈleɪ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AW1 T L EY2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A laying out or expending; that which is laid out or expended.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The spending of money, or an expenditure.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Without too much outlay, you could buy a second-hand car.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A remote haunt or habitation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To lay or spread out; expose; display.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To spend, or distribute money.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the act of spending or disbursing money

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: spending, disbursement, disbursal

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: payment, defrayal, defrayment

Narrower terms: expending, expenditure, deficit spending, compensatory spending, pump priming

7

noun

Meaning 7

money paid out; an amount spent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: outgo, spending, expenditure

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: transferred property, transferred possession

Narrower terms: cost, expense, transfer payment

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úd Proto-Germanic *ūt Proto-Germanic *ūt- Old English ūt- Middle English ut- English out- English lay English outlay From out- + lay.

Across languages

Translations

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مَصْرُوف (maṣrūf) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Arabic: مَصَارِيف (maṣārīf) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Belarusian: расхо́д (rasxód) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Belarusian: выда́так (vydátak) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Bulgarian: ра́зход (rázhod) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Bulgarian: разно́ски (raznóski) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 費用 /费用 (fèiyòng) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Czech: útrata — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Czech: výdaj — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Danish: udlæg — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Finnish: kulut — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Finnish: menot — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Finnish: kustannukset — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • French: dépense — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Galician: investimento — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • German: Ausgabe — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • German: Aufwand — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Hungarian: kiadás — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Hungarian: költség — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Irish: costas — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Japanese: 支出 (shishutsu) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Japanese: 費用 (hiyō) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Korean: 비용 (biyong) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Latin: impensa — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Latin: impendium — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Russian: расхо́ды (rasxódy) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Russian: затра́ты (zatráty) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Spanish: gasto — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Ottoman Turkish: خرج (harc) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Ukrainian: розхі́д (rozxíd) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Ukrainian: вида́ток (vydátok) — the spending of money, or an expenditure
  • Bulgarian: харча (harča) — to spend, or distribute money
  • Catalan: gastar — to spend, or distribute money
  • Czech: utratit — to spend, or distribute money
  • Czech: utrácet — to spend, or distribute money
  • Finnish: käyttää — to spend, or distribute money
  • French: dépenser — to spend, or distribute money
  • Galician: investir — to spend, or distribute money
  • Hungarian: költ — to spend, or distribute money
  • Hungarian: fordít — to spend, or distribute money
  • Hungarian: ráfordít — to spend, or distribute money
  • Ido: spensar — to spend, or distribute money
  • Italian: spendere — to spend, or distribute money
  • Russian: тра́тить (trátitʹ) — to spend, or distribute money
  • Russian: расходовать (rasxodovatʹ) — to spend, or distribute money
  • Spanish: gastar — to spend, or distribute money