layabout

Other forms of layabout

plural

layabouts·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about layabout

What does layabout mean?

layabout means "person who does no work".

How many syllables are in layabout?

layabout has 2 syllables and divides as laya-bout under the regular spelling rules. It is not in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, so that comes from how the word is written rather than from a recorded pronunciation, and no stress or phonetic transcription is claimed for it.

What is another word for layabout?

Close synonyms include idler, loafer, do-nothing, bum. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is layabout a common word?

layabout is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.