out ‧ lay /ˈaʊtleɪ/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
the amount of money that you have to spend in order to start a new business, activity etc ⇨ expense , cost
small/modest/considerable/large etc outlay
For a relatively small outlay, you can start a home hairdressing business.
outlay on
House buyers usually have a large initial outlay on carpets and furniture.
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THESAURUS
▪ spending the amount of money that is spent, especially by a government or other organization:
Company spending on staff benefits has been cut dramatically in recent years.
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There has been a huge increase in government spending.
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military spending
▪ expenditure formal the amount of money that a government, organization, or person spends during a particular period of time – used especially in official documents or reports:
British defence expenditure was consistently high during this period.
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military expenditure
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Expenditure on advertising has gone down.
▪ costs the money that a person or organization has to spend on heating, rent, wages etc:
What are your annual fuel costs?
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Falling sales have forced companies to cut costs.
▪ expenses the money that you spend on things that you need, for example on food, rent, and travel:
Living expenses are much higher in New York.
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I kept a record of all my travel expenses so that I could claim them back.
▪ outgoings the money that someone has to spend regularly on rent, bills, food etc for their home or business:
The outgoings on a house this size are very high.
▪ outlay the amount of money that someone must spend when they first start a new business or activity:
The intial outlay on machinery was quite high.
▪ overheads British English , overhead American English the money that a business spends regularly on rent, insurance, and other things that are needed to keep the business operating:
In London, small businesses often have high overheads.