Let | Mean of let in English Dictionary

/ˈlɛt/

• Verb
• to allow or permit (someone or something) to do something
1. Let them go.
2. I'll be happy to help you if you'll let me (help you).
3. A break in the clouds let us see the summit. [=made it possible for us to see the summit]
4. Don't let this opportunity slip away!
5. Let me see the bruise.
6. I don't believe in letting children do whatever they want to do. = I don't believe that people should let children do whatever they want to do.
7. My philosophy is “Live and let live.” [=live your life as you choose and let other people do the same]
8. They let him speak. [=they allowed/permitted him to speak]
9. They let him speak. [=he was allowed/permitted by them to speak]
• to allow someone to use (something) in return for payment
1. They have rooms to let. [=rooms that people can rent to live in]
• to be rented or leased for a specified amount of money
1. The flat lets [=rents] for 350 pounds a month.

• to allow (someone or something) to go, pass by, etc.
1. Let me out!
2. She locked the door and refused to let him in.
3. The guard refused to let us through the gate.
4. Let me through/past! [=let me move through a group of people, past a barrier, etc.]
• to not bother or touch (someone or something)
1. Let [=(more commonly) leave] your sister alone.
2. All I ask is to be let alone. [=(more commonly) left alone]
3. Would you please let it alone?
4. I never did learn to let well enough alone. [=to leave well enough alone; to stop changing something that is already good enough]
• to fail to give help or support to (someone who needs or expects it)
1. I promised Mary that I'd help her, and I can't let her down.
2. It's my fault we lost the game. I let the team down.
3. He never lets down a friend in need.
4. His judgment let him down. [=his judgment was poor; he made a bad decision]
• to make (someone) unhappy or displeased by not being as good as expected
1. The end of the story really let me down. = I felt let down by the end of the story. [=the end of the story was disappointing]
• to cause or allow (something) to move down gradually
1. let a bucket down into a well = let down a bucket into a well
• to make (a skirt, a pair of pants, etc.) longer
1. The pants were a little too short and needed to be let down a little.
• to stop holding or gripping something or someone
1. I tried to take the ball from him, but he wouldn't let go.
2. She grabbed my hand and refused to let go.
3. He let the rope go. = He let go of the rope. = (less commonly) He let go the rope.
4. When a child grows up and moves away from home, it can be hard for parents to let go. [=to allow the child to live independently; to not be too involved in the child's decisions, actions, etc.]
5. I know she disappointed you, but you need to let the past go and move on with your life. [=you need to stop caring or thinking about the past]
6. You need to let go of the past.
7. She felt she had been treated wrongly, and she wasn't willing to let it go. [=she wasn't willing to forget how she had been treated]
8. You're late. I'll let it go this time, but it had better not happen again.
9. The car is probably worth a lot more, but she agreed to let it go for five thousand dollars. [=she agreed to sell the car for five thousand dollars]
• to behave in a very free and open way
1. He really lets go when he's out partying with his friends.
2. She has a hard time relaxing and letting herself go.
• to allow (someone who is being held as a slave, prisoner, etc.) to be free
1. They let the prisoner go. = The prisoner was let go.
• to officially make (someone) leave a job
1. The company let him go at the end of the month. = He was let go at the end of the month.
• to fail to take care of (yourself)
1. I was very depressed back then and had really let myself go. [=I had stopped taking care of myself]
• to show your true feelings
1. When I'm with my friends, I let it all hang out.
• to allow (someone) to get off a bus, an airplane, etc.
1. Could you let me off (the bus) at the next stop, please?
2. The bus stopped to let off a few passengers.
• to allow (someone who has been caught doing something wrong or illegal) to go without being punished
1. The police officer let her off with just a warning.
2. They let him off easy/easily/lightly, if you ask me. [=I do not think he was punished as severely as he could/should have been]
3. If you ask me, they let him off the hook too easily.
• to cause (something) to explode or to be released in a forceful way
1. let off [=set off] a firecracker
2. let off pressure
• to allow (someone) to get on a bus, an airplane, etc.
1. They let passengers with small children on (the airplane) first.
2. The bus stopped to let on a few more passengers.
• to tell, admit, or show that you know something
1. He knows a lot more than he lets on.
2. Don't let on that I told you!
3. She was unhappy, but she never let on. = She never let on to anyone that she was unhappy. [=she never showed or told anyone that she was unhappy]
• to pretend or seem
1. She's not as happy as she lets on.
• to release (something or someone)
1. She let out a scream. [=she screamed]
2. They let the prisoner out (of prison) for the weekend. = The prisoner was let out for the weekend.
3. Let the clutch out slowly.
• to make (a skirt, a pair of pants, etc.) larger
1. The skirt is too tight and needs to be let out a little.
2. let out a pair of pants
• to end a semester, year, or session
1. School lets out in June.
• to attack, punish, or criticize (someone) in a violent or angry way
1. When she found out what they'd been doing, she really let them have it.
• to allow (someone) to know (a secret)
1. He said he'd let me in on a secret if I promised not to tell anyone else.
• to stop or become slower
1. Won't this rain ever let up?
2. There's a lot of work still to be done. We can't let up now.
• to treat (someone) in a less harsh or demanding way
1. The students might respond better if the teacher let up on [=eased up on] them a little.
• to apply less pressure to (something)
1. I let up on [=eased up on] the gas pedal.
• to cause (yourself) to have or experience (something bad or unpleasant)
1. She's letting herself in for a lot of trouble/criticism.
2. When I agreed to help, I didn't know what I was letting myself in for. [=getting myself into]
• Noun
• a serve that is not accepted or allowed officially and must be done again
1. The first serve was a let.
• without being interfered with
1. They have the right to vote without let or hindrance. [=without anyone making it difficult or impossible for them to vote]