Definition

1. Noun:

   • An amount of money spent on something; an expenditure: "outlay" refers to the money that is paid out or used for a particular purpose, especially a business investment or project cost.
   • The act of spending or disbursing money: "outlay" can also refer to the action or process of paying out money.

2. Verb (less common, usually as past participle 'outlaid'):

   • To expend or disburse money: To pay out a sum of money.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The initial outlay for the new factory was over two million dollars.
  • We need to consider the total outlay before approving the project.
  • The outlay on research and development has increased this year.

• Verb:

  • A large sum was outlaid for the renovation. (This form is less frequent in everyday use.)

Advanced Usage

• Capital outlay: Money spent on acquiring or upgrading physical assets like property or equipment.

  • The company's capital outlay this quarter is focused on new machinery.

• Initial/upfront outlay: The first or immediate expenditure required to start something.

  • The upfront outlay for the franchise is quite high, but the returns are promising.

Variants and Related Words

• Outlaid: The simple past tense and past participle form of the verb 'to outlay'.
  • The funds have been outlaid as planned.

Synonyms

• Expenditure: The action of spending funds or an amount of money spent.
• Cost: An amount that has to be paid or spent to buy or obtain something.
• Disbursement: The payment of money from a fund.

Antonyms

• Income: Money received, especially on a regular basis.
• Receipt: The action of receiving something or the amount received.
• Profit: A financial gain.

Related Phrases

• Return on outlay: The gain or profit earned from an expenditure, often considered as a ratio.
  • We are analyzing the return on our marketing outlay.

Noun

1. money paid out; an amount spent
2. the act of spending or disbursing money