layout

American  

[ley-out] / ˈleɪˌaʊt /

noun

layouts plural

1. an arrangement or plan.

   We objected to the layout of the house.

2. the act of laying or spreading out.

3. a plan or sketch, as of an advertisement or a page of a newspaper or magazine, indicating the arrangement and relationship of the parts, as of type and artwork.

4. (in advertising, publishing, etc.) the technique, process, or occupation of making layouts.

5. Journalism. spread.

6. Informal. a place, as of residence or business, and the features that go with it; a setup.

   a fancy layout with a swimming pool and a tennis court.

7. Informal. a display or spread, as of dishes at a meal.

8. a collection or set of tools, implements, or the like.

9. Cards. an arrangement of cards dealt according to a given pattern, as in solitaire.

10. Diving, Gymnastics. a body position in which one is fully extended and arched backward, with the legs together and straight, the head thrown back, and the arms extended sideways.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• layouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of layout

1840–50, noun use of verb phrase lay out

Explanation

A layout is a plan or design, like the odd layout of your friend's house, where you have to walk through two bedrooms to get to the bathroom. Anything that's planned on paper and then constructed in three dimensions has a layout, including houses, buildings, cities, parks, and gardens. Newspapers, magazines, and websites have layouts too: the way words and images are organized together on the page. The verb came first, from the sense of laying out or arranging the letters of a manuscript before printing them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

layout layouts

Some supporters seemed confused by the mega-mall's layout as several approached staff asking for directions to MetLife stadium.

From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026

Dubbed the French Ivy House thanks to the abundance of ivy covering the stucco walls, the 3,473-square-foot layout of the star’s former dwelling features plenty of space.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

However, new customers tell us our stores can be overwhelming and hard to navigate due to too much product and a layout that isn’t intuitive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Lawyers for David Sullivan said Florence's account is "implausible" given the layout of his house.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

“Now that Lori’s gone,” he said, “I’m reconfiguring the layout, and your room will be a lot bigger.”

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Their architecture, road layouts, transportation systems and other infrastructure were designed for weather conditions that are becoming a thing of the past.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Home tasks are tougher, as layouts and tasks are more varied and messy.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

At Big Cedar Lodge in the Ozark Mountains, there are three championship layouts, a Himalayas-inspired putting course and three short courses available for play.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

Turnberry, which hosted the most recent of its four Opens in 2009, has significant logistical issues, despite its Ailsa Course being recognised as one of the world's finest layouts.

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

It was true that the layouts were mirror images of each other.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Related Words

• blueprint
• chart
• design
• geography
• map