layout
Americannoun
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an arrangement or plan.
We objected to the layout of the house.
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the act of laying or spreading out.
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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.
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(in advertising, publishing, etc.) the technique, process, or occupation of making layouts.
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Journalism. spread.
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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.
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Informal. a display or spread, as of dishes at a meal.
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a collection or set of tools, implements, or the like.
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Cards. an arrangement of cards dealt according to a given pattern, as in solitaire.
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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.
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.
Vocabulary lists containing layout
Reading: Informational - Middle School
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Writing - Middle School
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Text Structure
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The bodies were found together in an area of the cave. Based on the cave's layout, they may have got lost," the company's CEO Laura Marroni told AFP.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
The "pit" layout of the concert allows fans who buy special packages to stand in one of four sections within the stage - and Styles then performs around them.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
But Washington no longer operates in line with that original layout.
From Slate • May 18, 2026
An open layout features an entryway with two elegant staircases, while the kitchen is outfitted with a Sub-Zero fridge, Wolf gas stove, and large walk-in pantry.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
The room beyond was the same size as the others, and the same layout.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
