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let down

 - 7 dictionary results

let⋅down

  [let-doun]
Use let down in a Sentence
–noun
1. a decrease in volume, force, energy, etc.: a letdown in sales; a general letdown of social barriers.
2. disillusionment, discouragement, or disappointment: The job was a letdown.
3. depression; deflation: He felt a terrible letdown at the end of the play.
4. the accelerated movement of milk into the mammary glands of lactating mammals upon stimulation, as by massage or suckling.
5. Aeronautics. the descent of an aircraft from a higher to a lower altitude preparatory to making an approach and landing or to making a target run or the like.
Also, let-down.

Origin:
1760–70; n. use of v. phrase let down

let

1  [let] 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
9. 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,
a. 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 lētan; akin to Gk lēdeîn 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 leave 1 .
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To let down
let 1   (lět)   
v.   let, let·ting, lets

v.   tr.

  1. 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.

  2. 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!

  4. To permit to enter, proceed, or depart: let the dog in.

  5. To release from or as if from confinement: let the air out of the balloon; let out a yelp.

  6. To rent or lease: let rooms.

  7. To award, especially after bids have been submitted: let the construction job to a new firm.

v.   intr.

  1. To become rented or leased.

  2. To be or become assigned, as to a contractor.

  3. 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.

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

  6. To pretend.

  7. To come to a close; end: School let out early. The play let out at 11 P.M.

  8. To make known; reveal: Who let that story out?

  9. To increase the size of (a garment, for example): let out a coat.

  10. To slow down; diminish: didn't let up in their efforts.

  11. To come to a stop; cease: The rain let up.

Phrasal Verb(s):
let down

  1. 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

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

  2. To pretend.

let out

  1. To come to a close; end: School let out early. The play let out at 11 P.M.

  2. To make known; reveal: Who let that story out?

  3. To increase the size of (a garment, for example): let out a coat.

let up

  1. To slow down; diminish: didn't let up in their efforts.

  2. To come to a stop; cease: The rain let up.


Idiom(s):
let aloneNot 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 goTo 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 downTo drop one's reserve or inhibitions.

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

  1. To beat, strike, or shoot at someone.

  2. To scold or punish.


Idiom(s):
let (someone) in on

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

  2. To allow someone to participate in (something).


Idiom(s):
let up onTo 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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

let  (v.)
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 "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. Slang letdown "disappointment" first recorded 1768. Let on "reveal, divulge" is from 1637; let up "cease, stop" is from 1787.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: let
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: let; let·ting
transitive verb 1 : to offer or grant for rent, lease, or hire : LEASE let, or encumbered> let out>
2 : to assign esp. after bids let a contract without going through the bidding process —Union Springs Tel. Company v. Rowell, 623 So. Second 732 (1993)> intransitive verb 1 : to become rented, leased, or hired
2 : to become awarded to a contractor
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: let down
Pronunciation: -'daun
Function: transitive verb
: to release (formed milk) within the mammary gland or udder
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

let down

  1. Cause to descend, lower, as in They let down the sails. [Mid-1100s]

  2. Also, let up. Slacken, abate, as in Sales are letting down in this quarter, or They didn't let up in their efforts until the end. The first term dates from the mid-1800s, the variant from the late 1700s.

  3. See let someone down. Also see let one's hair down.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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