let
Other forms: letting; lets; letted
To let is to allow or permit. If you don't prevent your little brother from jumping off the roof into a pile of leaves, you let him do it.
Your boss might let you take a few days off work, and the friendly city bus driver might let you ride for free when you forget your wallet. Another way to let is to allow someone or something to pass in a certain direction, like a window that lets in the morning sunshine. The word can also mean "lease" or "rent," so a landlord might let a room over his garage to a college student.
Definitions of let
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actively cause something to happen
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make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
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consent to, give permission“I won't let the police search her basement”
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synonyms:
allow, countenance, permit
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types:
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abide, bear, brook, digest, endure, put up, stand, stick out, stomach, suffer, support, tolerate
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
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furlough
grant a leave to
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give
allow to have or take
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allow, permit, tolerate
allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting
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authorise, authorize, clear, pass
grant authorization or clearance for
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admit, include, let in
allow participation in or the right to be part of; permit to exercise the rights, functions, and responsibilities of
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favor, favour, privilege
bestow a privilege upon
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decriminalise, decriminalize, legalise, legalize, legitimate, legitimatise, legitimatize, legitimise, legitimize
make legal
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trust
allow without fear
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admit, allow in, intromit, let in
allow to enter; grant entry to
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accept, live with, swallow
tolerate or accommodate oneself to
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hold still for, stand for
tolerate or bear
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bear up
endure cheerfully
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take lying down
suffer without protest; suffer or endure passively
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take a joke
listen to a joke at one's own expense
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sit out
endure to the end
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pay
bear (a cost or penalty), in recompense for some action
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approbate
approve or sanction officially
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certificate
authorize by certificate
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O.K., approve, okay, sanction
give sanction to
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induct, initiate
accept people into an exclusive society or group, usually with some rite
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readmit
admit again or anew
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declare
authorize payments of
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certify, licence, license
authorize officially
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commission
charge with a task
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formalise, formalize, validate
declare or make legally valid
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monetise, monetize
give legal value to or establish as the legal tender of a country
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repatriate
admit back into the country
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readmit
admit anew
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involve
engage as a participant
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cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition
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leave unchanged“let it be”
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type of:
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leave, leave alone, leave behind
leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking
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leave, leave alone, leave behind
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grant use or occupation of under a term of contract
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a serve that strikes the net before falling into the receiver's court; the ball must be served again
Pronunciation
US
/lɛt/
UK
/lɛt/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘let'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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