letting

Variant of let

let definition

let (let)

transitive verb let, letting let′·ting

  1. 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.
  2. to allow or cause to escape; cause to flow or come out, as by shedding, emitting, etc. to let blood
  3. to allow to pass, come, or go let me in
  4. 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]
  5. 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

  1. to lower
  2. to slow up; relax; slacken
  3. to disappoint or fail

let off

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

let on

Informal
  1. to indicate one's awareness of a fact
  2. to pretend

let out

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

let someone have it

to attack, hit, shoot, etc. someone

let up

  1. to slacken; relax
  2. to cease

let up on

Informal to stop dealing harshly or severely with

let well enough alone

see the phrase under alone

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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