lay out

British  

verb

1. to arrange or spread out

2. to prepare (a corpse) for burial or cremation

3. to plan or contrive

4. informal to spend (money), esp lavishly

5. informal to knock unconscious

6. informal to exert (oneself) or put (oneself) to an effort

   he laid himself out to please us

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noun

1. the arrangement or plan of something, such as a building

2. the arrangement of written material, photographs, or other artwork on an advertisement or page in a book, newspaper, etc

3. a preliminary plan indicating this

4. a drawing showing the relative disposition of parts in a machine, etc

5. the act of laying out

6. something laid out

7. the formation of cards on the table in various games, esp in patience

8. informal a residence or establishment, esp a large one

lay out Idioms  

1. Make a detailed plan, design, or explanation, as in They laid out the exact dimensions in order to construct the new display , or Robert laid out next year's plans for his staff . [Mid-1700s]

2. Prepare a dead body for burial, as in He died that morning and was laid out for the wake by afternoon . [Late 1500s]

3. Rebuke harshly, as in She laid me out for breaking the vase . [ Slang ; late 1800s]

4. Knock unconscious or to the ground, render helpless, as in He laid him out with one good punch . [Late 1800s]

5. Expend, spend, as in She laid out a fortune on jewelry . [Mid-1400s]

6. Display or arrange, especially in a particular order, as in He asked her to lay out the merchandise in an attractive way . [Mid-1400s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lay out

I lay out the problem, ask if I might be so bold as to invite myself, along with a couple of colleagues, to Cambridge, MA.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

The rebrand comes ahead of a strategic presentation on September 21, when executives are to lay out their plan for "a faster, more competitive and increasingly consumer-driven market".

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

"Any kind of concrete scenario you can lay out ends up sounding like science fiction," Coxon said, but notes that advancements which have already happened would have sounded like fiction in the past.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Seth Goldstein at Morningstar doesn’t expect Tesla to lay out much that wasn’t already known from a high level, adding that the event would be more about offering a signal of progress.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

The boy recognized his own guilt and wanted only to lay out the full causes.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Related Words

• arrange
• chart
• outline