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let

[let]

verb (used with object)

to allow or permit: to let him escape.

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

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

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

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

EXPAND

(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!

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

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

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Let is one of our favorite verbs.

So is kibitz. Does it mean:

chat, to converse

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

noun

British. a lease.

Verb phrases

let down,

to disappoint; fail.

to betray; desert.

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

to allow to descend slowly; lower.

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.

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

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.

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

11.

let off,

to release by exploding.

to free from duty or responsibility; excuse.

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

12.

let on,

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

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,

to divulge; make known.

to release from confinement, restraint, etc.

to enlarge (a garment).

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

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

EXPAND

14.

let up,

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

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.

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Idioms

16.

let alone. alone (def. 8).

17.

let be,

to refrain from interference.

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:
before 900; Middle English leten, Old English lǣtan; cognate with Dutch laten, German lassen, Old Norse lāta, Gothic lētan; akin to Greek lēdeîn to be weary, Latin 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. EXPANDPerhaps 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.

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Example Sentences

Some suggest removing the let serve could make the game more exciting, but that changing the rule is low on the priority list.

Were it not for the college's online calculator, he says, he would not have let his.

Let us hope the murder of public-spirited nordic teenagers will not go unpunished.

EXPAND

Some suggest removing the let serve could make the game more exciting, but that changing the rule is low on the priority list.

Were it not for the college's online calculator, he says, he would not have let his.

Let us hope the murder of public-spirited nordic teenagers will not go unpunished.

Don't let all your green efforts get washed away with your morning shower.

Experts discuss tips and tricks to let loose your inner ingenuity.

Or, if the parents give resources to charity, let young people help make that.

Let your imagination take wing as you tailor these gifts to their recipients' interests.

Modular wall kits let you be the architect-without really.

Programs that let parents track grades in real time are popular but can raise stress.

Forging a medical note seems really too much to let it go, and the student's behavior is really making me upset.

If you let the saw do the work it is a good tool, a quick tool.

Explore the science behind hurricanes, and then let loose your own hurricane in our interactive feature.

Developments underway could let drivers charge their batteries with magnetic fields.

If the gods were willing to let the banquet go forward, they would send favorable signs and the guests could be seated.

Let trick-or-treaters know you're home with glowing jack-o'-lanterns that do double-duty.

GarageBand's various windows let you play instruments, record them, and mix the tracks together into finished songs.

The chair will let you know what hotel and whose name the hotel room is under.

Let your students learn about animals in the forest with this illustrated activity.

Patents let private parties take the law into their own hands.

Diller says that she always let the audience do the editing of her material for her.

The shed features a recycled door and windows that let in plenty of light.

Technology nowadays is supposed to be disruptive-in a good way- so let it disrupt your summer vacation.

Blueprints, personal recollections, and field dispatches let you in on the hunt.

Thicker clouds look darker than thinner ones, which let more light through and so appear.

Wings were a great survival tool that let them forage and rise above their enemies.

Set a row of small-leafed vines in pots on top of a wall and let them cascade at will.

Let candidates know whom to expect in the audience for a job talk.

When sailing a straight line, let sail out nearly perpendicular to the boat for maximum speed.

Let us count the ways that illusions play with our hearts and minds.

Yet modern readers barely have time to read their e-mail, let alone tackle a million word masterpiece.

So read on and let the following examples inspire you to curl up by the fire.

Go grocery shopping, take the dog for a walk, and let the answering machine handle your calls.

Let these penguins be your inspiration for keeping warm.

Most animal vocal cords are triangular, but the uniquely stretchable square cords of the big cats let them produce their.

As a writer you sometimes get nervous that you've let your commitment to a story run away with your judgment.

True hiking fans don't let a recent rain or pounding snowstorm keep them off the trails.

They developed special toes that let them cling to wet leaves and scurry up slippery vines.

And the first thing a baby does when it enters the world is bawl to let everyone know it has arrived healthy and whole.

One colleague would not let them near the microscopes in a joint.

Pull off the parchment paper and let the crust cook.

Let us help you choose the perfect gift for any recipient or occasion.

For years cars have had warning systems to let drivers know when they're about to back into something.

Set the scene and let us feel whatever it was that still lingers in your memory, for better or worse.

My mother didn't want to let the fruit go to waste, so she made the apricots into pie filling and froze.

To decorate with additional colors, let the pops dry completely.

Instead they stop it from reproducing and let the immune system clear out infected cells.

Those charges let the molecules form hydrogen bonds and attach to other molecules that are polar, including other water molecules.

When shallots' green shoots begin to yellow, it's time to stop irrigating to let the bulbs dry.

Sometimes the best way to prepare for it is to let go of life.

If you get treatment and it works please let me know.

It's hard enough programming robots to interpret social nuances, let alone deception.

Don't let it sit longer, though, or it will taste harsh.

To them, this project is so exciting that they help me out with discounts on materials or let me use their facilities.

Those connections let the same network of brain cells refire later on, which we.

Cuttings are easily rooted: let dry for a few days, then plant in sandy soil and keep barely moist until new growth appears.

The hairs on their feet let them walk on the surface of the water without falling in.

Let optics and chemistry catch this modern ghost and photograph.

Don't let the horses' hooves lull you to sleep or you'll miss the snowcapped peaks and evergreen forests.

It really helped these people let me into their lives.

Whisper-quiet electric and hybrid cars may need an artificial sound boost to let pedestrians know they're there.

It's hard enough to plan a garden on your own, let alone plan one on a budget.

But one of the babysitters began to accept me and let me crawl on my stomach toward the den.

Let us be mindful that forgetfulness is not a bedfellow of forgiveness.

The technique is the same as the one you describe for using rubber cement: spread it on, let it dry, peel it off.

Let me look first if there is a reason to run," she said.

Let them drop the million and one side projects they have and focus them on a new launch vehicle and their core mission.

All you need to do is plant, add drip irrigation, and let the garden rip.

We also tell people to yell and let their dogs bark if they see a resident bear.

Umm i was kinda hopeing this was a fun site that would get ride of my boredom but yah it wasnt kind odf a let down.

Don't let them dry out, and apply a complete liquid fertilizer monthly during the growing season.

Research is a blessing and is necessary, but let us not exclude the other half.

For additional plants, let a few seedlings grow add to my plant list.

Gently lift tubers from the ground, shake or hose off soil, and let them dry in the sun for a few hours.

Let the recipe itself serve as the perfect wrapping.

Grow in pots or containers, let spill over wall or edge of raised bed, or plant in any sunny spot add to my plant list.

Just touch the tips of the pinecones with the brush, let the paint dry, then place the cones in a simple white bowl.

Let this fresh crop of design-savvy planters, tools, and harvest helpers add some spark to your gardening.

Water deeply and let soil become nearly dry before watering again.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

(in tennis, badminton, etc.) any play that is voided and must be replayed, especially a service that hits the net and drops into the proper part of the opponent's court.

Chiefly Law. an impediment or obstacle: to act without let or hindrance.

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to hinder, prevent, or obstruct.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English letten (v.), lette (noun; derivative of the v.), Old English lettan (v.), derivative of læt slow, tardy, late; cognate with Old Norse letja to hinder

a diminutive suffix attached to nouns (booklet; piglet; ringlet), and, by extraction from bracelet, a suffix denoting a band, piece of jewelry, or article of clothing worn on the part of the body specified by the noun (anklet; wristlet).

Origin:
Middle English -let, -lette < Middle French -elet, equivalent to -el (< Latin -āle, neuter of -ālis -al¹ (compare bracelet) or < Latin -ellus diminutive suffix; compare -elle, chaplet) + -et -et

contraction of let us.

Can be confused: least, lest, let's.

Usage note
See contraction, let¹.

Link To let

Collins

World English Dictionary

let¹ (lɛt)

—vb , lets, letting, let
1.	to permit; allow: she lets him roam around
2.	(imperative or dependent imperative)
	a. used as an auxiliary to express a request, proposal, or command, or to convey a warning or threat: let's get on; just let me catch you here again!
	b. (in mathematical or philosophical discourse) used as an auxiliary to express an assumption or hypothesis: let "a" equal "b"
	c. used as an auxiliary to express resigned acceptance of the inevitable: let the worst happen
3.	a. to allow the occupation of (accommodation) in return for rent
	b. to assign (a contract for work)
4.	to allow or cause the movement of (something) in a specified direction: to let air out of a tyre
5.	informal (Irish) to utter: to let a cry
6.	let alone
	a. (conjunction) much less; not to mention: I can't afford wine, let alone champagne
	b. let be, leave alone, leave be to refrain from annoying or interfering with: let the poor cat alone
7.	let go See go
8.	let loose
	a. to set free
	b. informal to make (a sound or remark) suddenly: he let loose a hollow laugh
	c. informal to discharge (rounds) from a gun or guns: they let loose a couple of rounds of ammunition

—n
9.	(Brit) the act of letting property or accommodation: the majority of new lets are covered by the rent regulations

[Old English lǣtan to permit; related to Gothic lētan, German lassen]

let² (lɛt)

—n
1.	an impediment or obstruction (esp in the phrase without let or hindrance)
2.	tennis, squash
	a. a minor infringement or obstruction of the ball, requiring a point to be replayed
	b. the point so replayed

—vb , lets, letting, letted, let
3.	archaic (tr) to hinder; impede

[Old English lettan to hinder, from lætlate; related to Old Norse letja]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

let

O.E. lætan "to allow, let go, bequeath, leave," also "to rent" (class VII strong verb; past tense let, pp. læten), from P.Gmc. *lætan (cf. O.S. latan, O.Fris. leta, Du. laten, Ger. lassen, Goth. letan "to leave, let"), from PIE *le(i)d- "to leave behind, leave, yield" (cf. L. lassus

EXPAND

"faint, weary," Lith. leisti "to let, to let loose"). The primary sense appears to be "to let go through weariness, to neglect." Obsolete let (n.) "hindrance" is from O.E. lettan "hinder, delay," from P.Gmc. *latjanan, related to Mod.Eng. late. Let on "reveal, divulge" is from 1630s; let up "cease, stop" is from 1787.

let

"hindrance," 1175, from O.E. lettan "hinder, delay," from P.Gmc. *latjanan (cf. O.S. lettian "to hinder," O.N. letja "to hold back," O.H.G. lezzen "to stop, check," Goth. latjan "to hinder, make late," O.E. læt "sluggish, slow, late"); see late.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

LET
linear energy transfer

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

let

In addition to the idioms beginning with let, also see blow (let) off steam; give (let) someone have his or her head; (let someone) have it; live and let live. Also see under leave.

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