layout
layout — noun
1. how the items within a room, a printed page, a piece of software, or a piece of
how the items within a room, a printed page, a piece of software, or a piece of land are positioned and arranged in relation to each other
Hugo really liked the open layout of the new office, with low partitions between desks.
The library has a confusing layout with rooms on different floors.
compound noun: room layout / office layout / page layout
Before planting anything, Bilal pencilled a rough layout of the garden.
The app's clean layout, with large buttons and bright icons, makes it easy for children to use.
possessive: [thing]'s layout
Trang spent the morning learning the keyboard layout of her new laptop.
- page layout
- keyboard layout
- garden layout
- office layout
- room layout
- website layout
- overall layout
- basic layout
- layout of
- arrangement
more general; layout emphasises a planned visual or spatial order
- design
broader; layout focuses on physical positioning, design includes colours, style, and materials
- configuration
more technical; common for electronics, software, and machinery
- format
narrower; mostly for documents and digital content
Usage Note
Commonly combined with another noun to specify what is arranged: page layout, keyboard layout, garden layout, office layout, website layout.
Common Mistakes
2. the stage or activity of deciding in detail how something will be organised or d
the stage or activity of deciding in detail how something will be organised or designed before it is built, printed, or produced
The architect spent two weeks on the layout plans for the shopping centre before presenting them.
Samir handled the layout work for the company's new brochure before it went to print.
verb + layout: handle / work on / do the layout
The layout phase of the housing development project took longer than expected.
Lucía walked through the building site during the layout stage.
- layout phase
- layout stage
- layout work
- layout process
- handle the layout
- work on the layout
Usage Note
This sense refers to the process, not the finished result. If you want to talk about the final arrangement itself, use sense 1. Common in architecture, publishing, and project management contexts.
Common Mistakes
layout — verb
1. to spread or arrange a number of items, such as clothes, papers, tools, or goods
to spread or arrange a number of items, such as clothes, papers, tools, or goods, on a flat surface so that they can all be seen clearly
Élise laid the fabric samples out on the table for customers.
separable: lay + object + out
Hana laid out the documents on the desk in order of importance.
The market vendor laid out fresh fish and vegetables every morning.
Samir laid out his photography equipment on the grass before the shoot.
- lay out clothes
- lay out papers
- lay out goods
- lay out tools
- lay something out on
- spread out
very similar; often used for maps, cloth, or picnic items
- display
more formal; focuses on showing for others to see or buy
Grammar Patterns
lay + object + out
lay out + object
Usage Note
The object can go before or after 'out': 'lay the photos out' and 'lay out the photos' are both correct. When the object is a pronoun, it must go between: 'lay them out', not 'lay out them'.
Common Mistakes
2. to spend a particular amount of money, typically a fairly large sum, on somethin
to spend a particular amount of money, typically a fairly large sum, on something such as a household repair, a purchase, or a service
Chidi laid out nearly three thousand pounds on car repairs last year.
amount of money + on + [item]
The family laid out a small fortune redoing the kitchen.
Brian refused to lay out that much cash for a used bicycle.
The school laid out several thousand dollars on new computers for the lab.
- lay out money
- lay out cash
- lay out a fortune
- lay out on
- save
opposite action
Grammar Patterns
lay out + amount of money + on + something
lay + amount + out + on + something
Usage Note
This sense is informal and often implies the speaker thinks the amount is large. For neutral spending, use 'spend' instead. The preposition 'on' introduces what the money was spent for.
3. to prepare a person who has died for people to come and see before the funeral,
to prepare a person who has died for people to come and see before the funeral, by washing and dressing the body and placing it in a coffin
The funeral director laid out the body in a simple oak coffin.
passive: be laid out in [coffin]
In some cultures the family members themselves lay out the deceased at home.
The funeral staff laid out the soldier in his dress uniform for the memorial service.
The village elder showed the family how to lay out the body according to their customs.
- lay out the body
- lay out the deceased
- laid out in a coffin
- prepare the body
more formal; avoids the phrasal verb
- dress the deceased
narrower; focuses only on clothing
Grammar Patterns
lay + body + out
lay out + body
Usage Note
A fairly specialised sense, found mainly in funeral-industry contexts, historical texts, and news reports about death customs. The passive form 'was laid out in' is very common.
4. to hit someone with enough force to make them fall to the ground and become unco
to hit someone with enough force to make them fall to the ground and become unconscious or unable to get up
A single punch laid the thief out cold on the pavement.
idiomatic extension: lay [someone] out cold
The windsurfer was laid out by the boom when the sail swung around.
In the local tournament, the young boxer laid out the defending champion with a single punch.
The boxer laid out his opponent in the third round with a powerful hook.
- lay someone out
- lay someone out cold
- lay someone flat
- knock out
very similar; 'lay out' emphasises the fall to the ground
- knock down
less strong; doesn't imply unconsciousness
- pick up
help someone to stand after a fall
Grammar Patterns
lay + object + out
lay out + object
Usage Note
Common in action scenes in books, films, and informal storytelling. The phrase 'lay someone out cold' emphasises that the person is completely unconscious. More common in American English than British.
5. to explain or write down a plan, strategy, set of ideas, or series of steps in a
to explain or write down a plan, strategy, set of ideas, or series of steps in a clear, organised way, so that the full picture can be understood
The CEO laid out a three-year strategy for the company's growth.
lay out + strategy / plan / vision
Yael laid out her career goals step by step in a notebook.
Trang's report laid out the arguments for switching to solar power.
The government document lays out new rules for recycling plastic waste.
- lay out a plan
- lay out a strategy
- lay out goals
- lay out arguments
- lay out rules
Grammar Patterns
lay out + plan/strategy/goals
Usage Note
The subject is often a person, a report, a document, or an organisation. The object is typically abstract: a plan, vision, argument, proposal, or set of rules. This sense does NOT take a that-clause.
Common Mistakes
6. to arrange or design the physical parts of something — such as furniture in a ro
to arrange or design the physical parts of something — such as furniture in a room, text and images on a page, or elements on a screen — according to a plan
Lucía laid out the furniture to make the room feel much larger.
separable: lay + object + out
Bilal laid out the magazine pages before sending them to the printer.
The chef laid out the ingredients in neat rows along the counter.
A graphic designer laid out the wedding invitations with carefully balanced text and floral borders.
- lay out furniture
- lay out pages
- lay out ingredients
- lay out items
- scatter
arrange without order
Grammar Patterns
lay out + object
lay + object + out
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 5: sense 6 deals with physical or visual objects (furniture, pages, ingredients), while sense 5 deals with abstract plans (strategies, goals, arguments). When the object is concrete, choose sense 6.
7. to draw or mark lines on a piece of metal, wood, or other material to show exact
to draw or mark lines on a piece of metal, wood, or other material to show exactly where it should be cut, drilled, shaped, or filed during the manufacturing process
Chidi laid out the steel plate with precise measurements before drilling.
The apprentice watched as the machinist laid out the pipe for cutting.
technical domain: lay out [material] for [operation]
Brian laid out the steel bracket carefully so the holes would line up exactly.
The technician laid out the aluminium sheet before taking it to the lathe.
- lay out steel
- lay out metal
- lay out a workpiece
- lay out for drilling
- lay out for cutting
- mark out
more common across trades; 'lay out' is more specific to machining
Grammar Patterns
lay out + metal/workpiece
lay + workpiece + out
Usage Note
This is a technical sense used in metalworking, woodworking, and mechanical engineering. In a general English class or everyday conversation, you are very unlikely to need this meaning.
Word family
- lay outphrasal verbB2
- outlaynounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words refer to how parts of something relate to each other, but they focus on different aspects. 'Layout' is the most concrete: it is about the physical or visual positioning of parts in a space or on a page. 'Arrangement' is broader — it can apply to abstract things (the arrangement of words in a sentence) or physical ones, and it does not imply the careful planning that 'layout' suggests. 'Design' goes further than positioning: it includes colours, materials, style, and function. A room's layout tells you where the sofa and table are; a room's design tells you why they are there and what style they follow. 'Plan' is the most abstract: it is an idea or drawing made before anything exists. You make a plan for a garden and then decide the layout of its paths and flower beds. For everyday use in talking about spaces, documents, and screens, 'layout' is the most natural choice.
Common collocations
Etymology
The noun 'layout' comes from the 14th-century English phrasal verb 'lay out', which originally meant 'to spread something out'. Over time, 'lay out' developed several figurative meanings (to spend, to plan, to knock down). By the mid-19th century, the joined form 'layout' appeared as a noun in the printing and publishing world, referring to how text and images were arranged on a page. It then spread into architecture, gardening, and later computing, keeping the core idea of organised arrangement.