Synonyms for outlay
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Noun
1. Expenditure
2. Disbursement
Other
Definitions
- n. 1
A laying out or expending; that which is laid out or expended.
- n. 2
The spending of money, or an expenditure.
Without too much outlay, you could buy a second-hand car.
Forms
- Plural
- outlays → expenditures, costs, spendings, prices…
Choose the right word
Outlay is used of some definite expenditure, as for the purchase of supplies; outgo of a steady drain or of incidental expenses.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- spending She was looking forward to spending time with him.
- expenditure The budget does not allow for this expenditure.
- expense Our household expense got into the red last month.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| outlay | falling | |
| spending | rising | |
| expenditure | falling | |
| disbursement | falling | |
| disbursal | steady | |
| expense | falling |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- cost1
- 5 letters
- price1
- 7 letters
- expense2
- 8 letters
- spending2
- 9 letters
- disbursal
- 11 letters
- expenditure4
- 12 letters
- disbursement3
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (expense2 = 2 syllables).