What does outlaying mean?
“Outlaying” means spending money or making an expenditure. It is the present participle of the verb “outlay,” which can also function as a noun meaning a cost or expense. In sentences, “outlaying” is especially natural before words such as “money,” “funds,” and “expenses,” because it gives the activity a slightly formal or financial character: a council may delay “outlaying funds,” while a company may be “carefully outlaying its budget.” The term is also used in progressive constructions, as in “They are outlaying the costs of the repairs.” Overall, it is a precise word for money being committed to a purpose, though “spending” serves the same basic meaning in more neutral or conversational language.
verbTo spend money or make an expenditure. As the present participle of outlay, it is especially used before a noun, as in “outlaying funds.”
- To spend money or make an expenditure.
"The council delayed outlaying funds until the final plans had been approved."
"The company is gradually outlaying the funds needed for its expansion."
"By carefully outlaying its budget, the charity avoided unnecessary expenses."
Outlaying is what you are doing when money goes out rather than coming in.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does outlaying come from?
“Outlaying” is the present participle of “outlay,” an English compound formed from “out” and “lay.” The verb belongs to a family of words built on “lay” in its sense of placing or setting something out. Related formations include “layout,” “overlay,” and “underlay.”
Related word forms
How outlaying is actually used
As a present participle, “outlaying” commonly appears in progressive constructions or directly before a noun, especially “money,” “funds,” or “expenses.” The form is more typical in formal or financial contexts than in everyday speech.
Easily confused with outlaying
“Outlay” is the base verb or the noun for an expenditure, while “outlaying” is the verb’s present participle, as in “outlaying money.”