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let

let¹ definition

let (let)

transitive verb let, letting let′·ting

to leave; forsake; abandon: now only in phrases let alone or let be, to refrain from bothering, disturbing, touching, etc.
1. to give the use of (a house, room, etc.) to a tenant in return for rent; rent; hire out
2. to give out (work), assign (a contract), etc.
to allow or cause to escape; cause to flow or come out, as by shedding, emitting, etc. to let blood
to allow to pass, come, or go let me in
to allow; permit: followed by an infinitive, normally without to[let me help], or by an adverb, etc. with the verb itself unexpressed [let me up]
to cause to; make: usually with know or hear let me hear from you

Etymology: ME leten < OE lætan, to leave behind, akin to Ger lassen < IE *lēd- < base *lēi-, to neglect, leave behind > late, L letum, death

intransitive verb

to be rented or leased house to let

let Idioms

let alone

see letabove & see the phrase under alone

let down

to lower
to slow up; relax; slacken
to disappoint or fail

let off

to give forth (steam, etc.)
to excuse from work for a short time
to deal leniently with; release with light punishment or none

let on

Informal

to indicate one's awareness of a fact
to pretend

let out

to allow to flow, run, etc. away; release
to give forth; emit
to lease or rent out
to reveal (a secret, etc.)
to make a garment larger by reducing (the seams, hem, etc.)
to cut (fur pelts) into strips that are then sewn together to achieve suppleness, attractive shading, etc.
☆ to dismiss or be dismissed, as school

let someone have it

to attack, hit, shoot, etc. someone

let up

to slacken; relax
to cease

let up on

☆

Informal to stop dealing harshly or severely with

let well enough alone

see the phrase under alone

let² definition

let (let)

transitive verb letted let′·ted or let, letting let′·ting

Archaic to hinder; obstruct; prevent

Etymology: ME letten < OE lettan, to hinder, lit., to make late (akin to Goth latjan, to delay) < base of læt, late

noun

an obstacle or impediment: used in the legal phrase without let or hindrance
Tennis, etc. an interference with the course of the ball in some way specified in the rules, making it necessary to play the point over again