layout
Plurallayouts
- 1The way the parts of something are planned and set out within a given space or set of limits.
The museum's new layout guides visitors through the exhibits in order.
Designers tested several seating layouts before the conference.
Similararrangement, configuration, design, plan
Note
A noun made by closing up the phrasal verb lay out, so the two are spelled differently: you lay out a garden, and the result is its layout. As one word it is the noun; as two words it is the verb. Every other meaning of the word comes from this same origin, from the arranged result to the gymnast's stretched-out body.
- 2
- 3The act of arranging or setting something out in an ordered way.
The layout of the exhibition required careful measurement of each gallery.
Volunteers handled the layout of the tables for the banquet.
Similararrangement, setup, placement
- 4The work of arranging articles, advertisements, graphics, and other material into a finished page design.
The editor sent the article back for a cleaner layout.
Newspaper layouts changed dramatically with the move to digital printing.
Note
Publishing uses the word for the work itself, not only its result. It is the stage where editorial copy, advertising and graphics are fitted onto a page or spread before the publication goes to print. That work balances visual hierarchy, readability and available space. Page layout is the usual pairing, and it easily slides into the finished arrangement that the reader sees.
- 5A site map or plan for a construction project, marking the positions of roads, buildings, and other structures.
Engineers revised the site layout after the soil survey.
The layout marked every utility line running beneath the lot.
Note
Engineering gives the word a precise drawing: a scaled plan of a construction site. It fixes where roads, buildings and utilities go, and which way they face, measured from survey reference points. Because it is made before groundwork begins, a site layout is a set of instructions for the ground rather than a picture of something already built.
- 6The customizable features of a user's profile, such as profile picture, screen name, and bio, taken together.
He refreshed his layout, swapping the avatar and rewriting his bio.
Many users tweak their layouts whenever the platform adds new options.
Similarprofile
Note
Profile pages stretch the word furthest from space and position. A screen name and a bio count as part of a user's layout alongside the picture, even though they are words rather than placements. The whole customizable face of an account is treated as one unit, which is why people speak of refreshing or tweaking their layout.
- 7A specification of an integrated circuit showing where the physical components that implement the schematic will sit in silicon.
The team optimized the layout to reduce signal delay across the chip.
Verification tools compare the layout against the original schematic.
Note
Chip designers keep two drawings of the same circuit. The schematic says what connects to what; the layout says where each transistor and interconnect physically sits on the silicon. The layout is the geometric step that becomes the mask patterns used to make the device, which is why verification tools check it against the schematic.
- 8A fully stretched-out body position, with the toes pointed and the legs held straight.
The gymnast completed her dismount in a flawless layout.
Judges deduct points when the legs bend during a layout.
Note
Gymnastics borrows the word for the body itself laid out straight: one line from shoulders to toes, with the legs together, the knees locked and the toes pointed. It is the shape used for saltos performed with no bend at the hips or knees. If the legs give way, the shape is broken, and judges take off points for it.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of layout apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
Formed from the verb phrase "lay out."