Meaning of lay sth out In English

• 0 to arrange something on a flat surface:

  • Most of Manhattan is laid out in/on a grid pattern.

  • We laid the pieces of the dress pattern out on the floor.

• 1 to spend money, especially a large amount:

  • It's not every day you lay out $500 on a dress.

• 2 to explain something clearly, usually in writing:

  • The code of practice lays out very clearly what the duties of the registrar are.

• 3 to explain or describe something in a clear and detailed way:

  • Our social media approach was laid out in the agenda.

  • lay sth out for sb He didn't understand that I was firing him, so I laid it out for him.

• 4 to design or arrange something in a useful way:

  • We laid out the web page so that the links were more clearly visible.