let1

Pronunciation: /lɛt/

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Definition of let

verb (lets, letting; past and past participle let)

1 [with object and infinitive] not prevent or forbid; allow:my boss let me leave early you mustn’t let yourself get so involved
[with object and adverbial of direction] allow to pass in a particular direction:could you let the dog out? a tiny window that let in hardly any light

2 [with object and infinitive] used in the imperative to formulate various expressions:
(let us or let's) used as a polite way of making or responding to a suggestion, giving an instruction, or introducing a remark:let’s have a drink ‘Shall we go?’ ‘Yes, let.’
(let me or let us) used to make an offer of help:‘Here, let me,’ offered Bruce
used to express one’s strong desire for something to happen or be the case:‘Dear God,’ Jessica prayed, ‘let him be all right.’
used as a way of expressing defiance or challenge:if he wants to walk out, well let him!
used to express an assumption upon which a theory or calculation is to be based:let A and B stand for X and Y respectively

3 [with object] chiefly British allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments:she let the flat to a tenant they’ve let out their house
award (a contract for a project) to an applicant: preliminary contracts were let and tunnelling work started

noun

British

a period during which a room or property is rented:I’ve taken a month’s let on the flat
a property available for rent:an unfurnished let

Phrases

let alone: used to indicate that something is far less likely or suitable than something else already mentioned:he was incapable of leading a bowling team, let alone a country
let someone/thing alone: see alone.
let someone/thing be: stop interfering with someone or something: let him be—he knows what he wants
let someone down gently: seek to give someone bad news in a way that avoids causing them too much distress: she was content for him to take his time and let Celeste down gently
let something drop (or fall): casually reveal a piece of information:from the things he let drop I think there was a woman in his life
let fall: Geometry draw (a perpendicular) from an outside point to a line.
let fly: attack physically or verbally:Mary opened her mouth to let fly at Jim
let oneself go
let someone/thing go
let someone have it: informal attack someone physically or verbally: I really let him have it for worrying me so much
let in (or out) the clutch: engage (or release) the clutch of a vehicle by releasing pressure on (or applying it to) the clutch pedal.
let something drop (or rest): say or do no more about a matter: you should let it drop, love, it’s more trouble than it’s worth
let something go (or pass): choose not to react to an action or remark:the decision worried us, but we let it go
let someone know: inform someone: let me know what you think of him
let someone/thing loose: release someone or something: let the dog loose for a minute; allow someone freedom of action in a particular place or situation:Ellen was laughing like a child let loose in a sweet shop; suddenly utter a sound or remark:he let loose a stream of abuse
let me see (or think): used when one is trying to remember something or considering one’s next words:now let me see, where did I put it?
let me tell you: used to emphasize a statement:let me tell you, I was very scared!
let off steam: see steam.
let rip: see rip¹.
let's face it (or let's be honest): informal used to convey that one must be realistic about an unwelcome fact or situation: let’s be honest, your taste in men is famously bad
let slip: see slip¹.
let's pretend: a game or situation in which one behaves as though a fictional or unreal situation is a real one: a crazy and possibly dangerous game of let’s pretend
let's say (or let us say): used as a way of introducing a hypothetical situation:let’s say we agreed to go our separate ways
to let: (of a room or property) available for rent: holiday homes for sale or to let

Phrasal Verbs

let down: (of an aircraft or a pilot) descend prior to making a landing: over the harbour, I started to let down
let someone down: fail to support or help someone as they had hoped: if I let him down now, I knew he’d never trust me again; (let someone/thing down) have a detrimental effect on the overall quality or success of someone or something:the whole machine is let down by the tacky keyboard
let something down
let someone in: admit someone to a room, building, or area:I had to wake up my flatmate Veronica to let me in
let oneself in for: informal involve oneself in (something likely to be difficult or unpleasant):I didn’t know what I was letting myself in for
let someone in on/into: allow someone to know or share (something secret): I’ll let you into a secret I wish someone would let me in on the joke
let something into: set something back into (the surface to which it is fixed), so that it does not project:the basin is partly let into the wall
let someone off
let something off: cause a gun, firework, or bomb to fire or explode.
let on
let out: North American (of lessons at school, a meeting, or an entertainment) finish, so that those attending are able to leave:his classes let out at noon
let someone out: release someone from obligation or suspicion:they’ve started looking for motives—that lets me out
let something out
let up: (of something undesirable) become less intense:the rain’s letting up—it’ll be clear soon; relax one’s efforts:she was so far ahead she could afford to let up a bit; (let up on) informal treat in a more lenient manner:she didn’t let up on Cunningham

Origin:

Old English lǣtan 'leave behind, leave out', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch laten and German lassen, also to late

let in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of let in the US English dictionary

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Other

verb (lets, letting; past and past participle let)

noun

Phrases

let alone

let someone/thing alone

let someone/thing be

let someone down gently

let something drop (or fall)

let fall

let fly

let oneself go

let someone/thing go

let someone have it

let in (or out) the clutch

let something drop (or rest)

let something go (or pass)

let someone know

let someone/thing loose

let me see (or think)

let me tell you

let off steam

let rip

let's face it (or let's be honest)

let slip

let's pretend

let's say (or let us say)

to let

Phrasal Verbs

let down

let someone down

let something down

let someone in

let oneself in for

let someone in on/into

let something into

let someone off

let something off

let on

let out

let someone out

let something out

let up

Origin:

let in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

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