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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

a·lone

Audio Help [uh-lohn] Pronunciation Key

–adjective (used predicatively)

1.	separate, apart, or isolated from others: I want to be alone.

2.	to the exclusion of all others or all else: One cannot live by bread alone.

3.	unique; unequaled; unexcelled: He is alone among his peers in devotion to duty.

–adverb

4.	solitarily; solely: She prefers to live alone.

5.	only; exclusively.

6.	without aid or help: The baby let go of the side of the crib and stood alone.

—Idioms

leave alone,

a.	to allow (someone) to be by himself or herself: Leave him alone—he wants to rest.

b.	to refrain from annoying or interfering with: The youngsters wouldn't leave the dog alone, and he finally turned on them.

let alone,

a.	to refrain from annoying or interfering with.

b.	not to mention: He was too tired to walk, let alone run.

9.	let well enough alone, to be satisfied with the existing situation; refrain from attempting to change conditions: Marriages are often destroyed by relatives who will not let well enough alone.

[Origin: 1250–1300; ME al one all (wholly) one

]

—Related forms

a·lone·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. single, solitary; unaccompanied, unattended. Alone, lone, lonely, lonesome all imply being without companionship or association. Alone is colorless unless reinforced by all; it then suggests solitariness or desolation: alone in the house; all alone on an island. Lone is somewhat poetic or is intended humorously: a lone sentinel. Lonely implies a sad or disquieting feeling of isolation. Lonesome connotes emotion, a longing for companionship.

—Antonyms 1. accompanied.

—Usage note 7, 8. See leave¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
let alone

To learn more about let alone visit Britannica.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

let1

Audio Help [let] Pronunciation Key verb, let, let·ting, noun

–verb (used with object)

1.	to allow or permit: to let him escape.

2.	to allow to pass, go, or come: to let us through.

3.	to grant the occupancy or use of (land, buildings, rooms, space, etc., or movable property) for rent or hire (sometimes fol. by out).

4.	to contract or assign for performance, usually under a contract: to let work to a carpenter.

5.	to cause to; make: to let one know the truth.

6.	(used in the imperative as an auxiliary expressive of a request, command, warning, suggestion, etc.): Let me see. Let us go. Just let them try it!

–verb (used without object)

7.	to admit of being rented or leased: The apartment lets for $100 per week.

–noun

8.	British. a lease.

—Verb phrases

let down,

a.	to disappoint; fail.

b.	to betray; desert.

c.	to slacken; abate: We were too near success to let down in our efforts.

d.	to allow to descend slowly; lower.

e.	Aeronautics. (of an airplane) to descend from a higher to a lower altitude preparatory to making an approach and landing or a similar maneuver.

10.

let in,

to admit.

b.	to involve (a person) in without his or her knowledge or permission: to let someone in for a loss.

c.	Also, let into. to insert into the surface of (a wall or the like) as a permanent addition: to let a plaque into a wall.

d.	Also, let in on. to share a secret with; permit to participate in.

11.

let off,

a.	to release by exploding.

b.	to free from duty or responsibility; excuse.

c.	to allow to go with little or no punishment; pardon: The judge let off the youthful offender with a reprimand.

12.

let on,

a.	to reveal one's true feelings: She was terrified at the prospect, but didn't let on.

b.	to pretend: They let on that they didn't care about not being invited, but I could tell that they were hurt.

13.

let out,

a.	to divulge; make known.

b.	to release from confinement, restraint, etc.

c.	to enlarge (a garment).

d.	to terminate; be finished; end: When does the university let out for the summer?

e.	to make (a let-out fur or pelt).

14.

let up,

a.	to slacken; diminish; abate: This heat wave should let up by the end of the week.

b.	to cease; stop: The rain let up for a few hours.

15.	let up on, to treat less severely; be more lenient with: He refused to let up on the boy until his grades improved.

—Idioms

16.	let alone. alone (def. 8).

17.

let be,

a.	to refrain from interference.

b.	to refrain from interfering with.

18.	let go. go (def. 82).

19.	let someone have it, Informal. to attack or assault, as by striking, shooting, or rebuking: The gunman threatened to let the teller have it if he didn't move fast.

[Origin: bef. 900; ME leten, OE lǣtan; c. D laten, G lassen, ON lāta, Goth létan; akin to Gk lédeǐn to be weary, L lassus tired. See late

]

—Synonyms 1. See allow. 1. suffer, grant. 3. lease, rent, sublet, hire.

—Antonyms 1. prevent.

—Usage note Let us is used in all varieties of speech and writing to introduce a suggestion or a request: Let us consider all the facts before deciding. The contracted form let's occurs mostly in informal speech and writing: Let's go. Let's not think about that right now. Perhaps because let's has come to be felt as a word in its own right rather than as the contraction of let us, it is often followed in informal speech and writing by redundant or appositional pronouns: Let's us plan a picnic. Let's you and I (or me) get together tomorrow. Both Let's you and me and Let's you and I occur in the relaxed speech of educated speakers. The former conforms to the traditional rules of grammar; the latter, nonetheless, occurs more frequently. See also leave¹.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

let¹ Audio Help   (lět) Pronunciation Key
v.   let, let·ting, lets

v.   tr.

To give permission or opportunity to; allow: I let them borrow the car. The inheritance let us finally buy a house. See Usage Note at leave¹.
To cause to; make: Let the news be known.
1. Used as an auxiliary in the imperative to express a command, request, or proposal: Let's finish the job! Let x equal y.
2. Used as an auxiliary in the imperative to express a warning or threat: Just let her try!
To permit to enter, proceed, or depart: let the dog in.
To release from or as if from confinement: let the air out of the balloon; let out a yelp.
To rent or lease: let rooms.
To award, especially after bids have been submitted: let the construction job to a new firm.

v. intr.

To become rented or leased.
To be or become assigned, as to a contractor.
To cause to come down gradually; lower: let down the sails.
1. To withdraw support from; forsake.
2. To fail to meet the expectations of; disappoint.
To allow to be known; admit: Don't let on that you know me.
To pretend.
To come to a close; end: School let out early. The play let out at 11 P.M.
To make known; reveal: Who let that story out?
To increase the size of (a garment, for example): let out a coat.
To slow down; diminish: didn't let up in their efforts.
To come to a stop; cease: The rain let up.

Phrasal Verb(s):
let down

To cause to come down gradually; lower: let down the sails.
1. To withdraw support from; forsake.
2. To fail to meet the expectations of; disappoint.

let on

To allow to be known; admit: Don't let on that you know me.
To pretend.

let out

To come to a close; end: School let out early. The play let out at 11 P.M.
To make known; reveal: Who let that story out?
To increase the size of (a garment, for example): let out a coat.

let up

To slow down; diminish: didn't let up in their efforts.
To come to a stop; cease: The rain let up.

Idiom(s):
let alone
Not to mention; much less: "Their ancestors had been dirt poor and never saw royalty, let alone hung around with them" (Garrison Keillor).

Idiom(s):
let go
To cease to employ; dismiss: had to let 20 workers go.

Idiom(s):
let off on Informal
To cause to diminish, as in pressure; ease up on: Let off on the gas so that we do not exceed the speed limit.

Idiom(s):
let (one's) hair down
To drop one's reserve or inhibitions.

Idiom(s):
let (someone) have it Informal

To beat, strike, or shoot at someone.
To scold or punish.

Idiom(s):
let (someone) in on

To reveal (a secret) to someone: They finally let me in on their plans.
To allow someone to participate in (something).

Idiom(s):
let up on
To be or become more lenient with: Why don't you let up on the poor child?

[Middle English leten, from Old English lǣtan; see lē- in Indo-European roots.]

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

let alone
adverb
much less; "she can't boil potatoes, let alone cook a meal"

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
let alone

not to mention; without taking into consideration
Example: There's no room for all the adults, let alone the children.

Arabic:	ناهيكَ عَن
Chinese (Simplified):	让
Chinese (Traditional):	更不用說
Czech:	nemluvě o
Danish:	for slet ikke at tale om
Dutch:	laat staan
Estonian:	rääkimata
Finnish:	puhumattakaan
French:	sans parler de
German:	geschweige denn
Greek:	χώρια, χωρίς να λογαριάσουμε
Hungarian:	nem is szólva (arról, hogy)
Icelandic:	hvað þá heldur
Indonesian:	apalagi
Italian:	(per non parlare di)

Japanese:	～はもちろん
Latvian:	nerunājot nemaz par
Lithuanian:	nekalbant jau apie
Norwegian:	for ikke å snakke om
Polish:	nie mówiąc już o
Portuguese (Brazil):	sem falar de
Portuguese (Portugal):	sem falar em
Romanian:	ca să nu mai vorbim de
Russian:	не говоря уже о …; не считая
Slovak:	nieto ešte
Slovenian:	da niti ne omenjamo
Spanish:	y mucho menos
Swedish:	för att inte tala om, än mindre
Turkish:	… şöyle dursun, … nerede

let (someone or something) alone/be

to leave alone; not to disturb or worry
Example: Why don't you let him be when he's not feeling well!; Do let your father alone.

Arabic:	يَتْرُكه وشَأنَه
Chinese (Simplified):	不干涉
Chinese (Traditional):	不干涉
Czech:	nechat v klidu
Danish:	lade være
Dutch:	met rust laten
Estonian:	rahule jätma
Finnish:	jättää rauhaan
French:	laisser tranquille
German:	in Ruhe lassen
Greek:	αφήνω κπ. ήσυχο
Hungarian:	békén hagy
Icelandic:	láta í friði
Indonesian:	tidak mengganggu, jangan ganggu
Italian:	lasciar stare, lasciare in pace

Japanese:	そっとしておく
Latvian:	likt mierā
Lithuanian:	palikti ramybėje
Norwegian:	la (noen) være i fred
Polish:	zostawić w spokoju
Portuguese (Brazil):	deixar em paz
Portuguese (Portugal):	deixar em paz
Romanian:	a lăsa în pace
Russian:	оставить (кого, *что-л.) в покое
Slovak:	nechať na pokoji
Slovenian:	pustiti pri miru
Spanish:	dejar en paz, no molestar
Swedish:	låta vara
Turkish:	rahat bırakmak, dokunmamak