What does let mean

Crossword clues for let

let

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

let

I.verb

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

give/let out a laugh

▪ She gave a loud laugh.

give/let out a shriek

▪ Ella let out a piercing shriek.

give/let out a sigh

▪ She let out a sigh of disappointment.

give/let out a yelp of pain/dismay/surprise etc

▪ The water was hotter than she had expected, and she gave an involuntary yelp.

let in a goal (=let the other team score a goal)

▪ Chelsea let in a goal in the 63rd minute.

let in some air (=let fresh air into a room)

▪ It would be nice to open the door and let in some air.

let it pass

▪ Carla made some comment about my work but I decided to let it pass.

let it slide

▪ Well, I guess we can let it slide this time.

let it slip that

▪ He let it slip that they were planning to get married.

let out a scream

▪ He let out a piercing scream.

let out/give a yell

▪ She let out a yell when she saw me.

let out/utter a cry

▪ Seeing the fields and mountains, she let out a cry of delight.

let sb in on a secret (=tell them a secret)

▪ Frank let me in on the secret.

let sb out of prison

▪ When's he going to be let out of prison?

let the matter rest/drop (=stop discussing or worrying about something)

▪ I was too curious to let the matter drop.

let us imagine … (=used to encourage someone else to think about a possibility)

▪ Let us imagine that you are an employer who wants to recruit some new staff.

let us/let’s assume (that) (=used when thinking about a possible event or situation and its possible results)

▪ Let us assume for a moment that we could indeed fire her. Should we?

let your breath out (=breathe out)

▪ Let your breath out slowly and relax.

let your gaze/eyes/thoughts/mind etc drift

▪ Idly she let her eyes drift over his desk.

let your imagination run wild (also let your imagination run riot British English) (= allow yourself to imagine many strange or wonderful things)

▪ He uses painting as a way of letting his imagination run riot.

let...go to pot

▪ The government has let the whole country go to pot.

let...guess

▪ What star sign are you? No, let me guess.

Let...know (=tell me)

▪ Let me know what time you’re planning to arrive.

let/put the cat out (=let it or make it go outside)

▪ Can you let the cat out?

lets...walk all over her

▪ It’s terrible – she lets her kids just walk all over her.

turn/let/set sth loose (=let something go free)

▪ Don’t let your dog loose on the beach.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

down

▪ There were horse-drawn cabs with the hoods let down, and cars going by.

▪ When I was young, I let down my parents by quitting Sorbonne.

▪ She, too, was let down by those in authority whose job it was to protect her.

▪ Balletomanes got to see their favorite dancers let down their hair.

▪ At night, part of the panel was let down, revealing a bed with concealed lighting behind.

▪ Keep it coming like you are. Let down a little.

▪ Ferguson then said he would buy the title for the fans he had so badly let down.

▪ Quickly, Della let down her beautiful, long hair.

off

▪ Not for the first time this year, Seles had been let off with a mere slap on the wrist.

▪ Parents were let off the hook.

▪ Then, to mark the end of the service, three enormous thunder-flashes were let off in the rear gatehouse.

▪ Lousy schools and dysfunctional teachers were let off the hook.

▪ We let off steam in graffiti, vandalism and football hooliganism.

▪ Or did the high turnout suggest a letting off of steam after three intense years of flood recovery?

▪ When Manly-Warringah dropped out of the chase, St George stepped up the pressure and have never really let off.

▪ He was moving in slow motion when Jimmy let off a sudden burst that sent chunks of sidewalk flying everywhere.

out

▪ On Thursday Major Vanavskaya suffered her first serious set-back, let out a very unladylike expletive and slammed the phone down.

▪ Balor let out a bellow of fear and, in the same moment, the Trees closed in.

▪ And with that he let out a long raspberry that inspired some applause.

▪ He let out a long-held breath.

▪ It was only as my sister reopened the front door to let out her pet cat that I was noticed.

▪ It was to be hoped that Joanna didn't let out details of their various clients and the pet shop.

▪ And he was fully expecting to be let out.

■ NOUN

pass

▪ So Kylie, never one to let a lesson pass unheeded, acted on it.

▪ Mr Punsalong taught me to let pain pass through me.

▪ And Lisbie knew Fiona wasn't going to let this one pass without a major counterattack.

▪ She could not stand the thought that she would be left again; she always let the warning pass.

▪ I think not, Clive, but let that pass.

▪ I let the subject pass and made a mental note for myself.

▪ He let the timber pass by intending to slip the hook over the rope at its head.

rest

▪ Its opponents, however, were unlikely to let the matter rest where it stood in September 1932.

▪ She rolled on top of him, letting her full weight rest on his body.

▪ He let his hammer rest on the shoe sole and looked up.

▪ Attention creates the foreground of consciousness, letting the rest slip into peripheral awareness.

▪ Anyway, you really should have just taken the useful tips from his lecture and let the rest slide.

▪ When she sat down she didn't let herself rest against the back of the chair.

▪ Season buffalo steaks with salt and pepper to taste and let them rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

run

▪ It lets you copy and run files and search for and rename programs.

▪ She played the fish, gave it some slack and let it run till it hesitated, then slowly drew it back.

▪ They let Celtic fire run, uninhibitedly.

▪ Some people let their under-fives run riot.

▪ Never let a man run the whole show.

▪ Equally unexpectedly, he let the contest run to the bitter end.

▪ We would let his interest run its course.

slip

▪ Be careful lads not to let this one slip away!

▪ He tried to let Billie and Carlo slip to the back of his mind.

▪ On the few occasions I have met him it has been very difficult for me not to let slip something about you.

▪ Not a word had Dooley let slip, not even a hint.

▪ And on most of the occasions when they had been alone together he hadn't let a chance slip by.

▪ Just a little slower, maybe let the needle slip back down toward eighty, maybe seventy.

▪ Even if he did not allow himself to betray his secret directly he might let slip something that would provide a clue.

▪ The chance to convert a proposal long mooted into reality was too precious to let slip.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

let (sth ↔) loose

let bygones be bygones

▪ Why don't we let bygones be bygones and forget about the whole thing.

▪ Although the book ended on a positive note in that the enemy's group leader tried to let bygones be bygones.

▪ He lets bygones be bygones, they say, and is always happy to welcome back the wayward.

▪ It raps a defector over the knuckles instantly but, after that, lets bygones be bygones.

▪ McVie credits Buckingham for letting bygones be bygones.

▪ Nor was he willing to let bygones be bygones once a quarrel had finally come to an end.

▪ We will let bygones be bygones.

let me be the judge of that

let nature take its course

▪ Just relax and let nature take its course.

▪ With a cold, it's better to just let nature take its course.

▪ I meant that, in the case of any other industry, we probably would have let nature take its course.

▪ I think we should let nature take its course.

▪ Should I just let nature take its course or stop it now?

▪ Stay calm and let nature take its course.

▪ The best is to obtain juveniles from a number of sources, rear them together and let nature take its course.

let sb loose on sth

▪ He seemed to have forgotten about only letting me loose on water.

▪ We let the Pacer loose on two testers - one fast, one slow.

▪ Who was feeding him or even letting him loose on occasions?

let the cat out of the bag

▪ I'm sorry. Jim knows about last week's party. I'm afraid I let the cat out of the bag.

▪ Some idiot's let the cat out of the bag -- Mrs Simpson realizes there's something going on.

▪ Inadvertently perhaps, the BiE report lets the cat out of the bag.

let the dust settle/wait for the dust to settle

let the genie out of the bottle

let the side down

▪ Brown was constantly letting the side down.

▪ Essentially, it's the ageing drivetrain that lets the side down.

▪ I don't want to let the side down - don't send me to the Sick Room!

▪ It is an unmentionable subject, a terrible way of letting the side down.

let your hair down

▪ Chat rooms on the Internet are a place we can let our hair down and say what we think.

▪ I spotted Juanita really letting her hair down on the dance floor.

▪ Playing softball is just a good way to let your hair down and have fun.

▪ You can really let your hair down and do what you want at the club.

▪ Among the many booksellers and publishers whom I spotted letting their hair down on the dance floor was independent publisher Christopher Hurst.

▪ He liked this: what his pub was all about, for people to let their hair down.

▪ In the second half Complicite let their hair down in their own inimitable way.

▪ Man's got ta let his hair down.

▪ Out in the pasture, the princess let her hair down.

▪ This was the day our friends let their hair down and spoke with amazing frankness.

▪ We know when we can afford to let our hair down and when we can't.

let's get this show on the road

let/blow off steam

▪ Recess is a good chance for kids to blow off steam.

▪ It was recreation hour, explained Brother Andrew with a smile, and the Brothers were letting off steam.

▪ Jody lets her blow off steam first.

▪ Others have behavioural problems and need to let off steam in a safe and controlled setting.

▪ She just needed to blow off steam.

▪ So kicking the cat, biting a towel or pounding a pillow aren't really much use, except for letting off steam.

▪ We let off steam in graffiti, vandalism and football hooliganism.

▪ You got upset, blew off steam.

▪ You want to let off steam?

let/get sb off the hook

▪ People will think they let Charmaine off the hook because she's a woman.

▪ And he was at the heart of two of the double plays that got Johns off the hook.

▪ And this time there is no second match to get anyone off the hook!

▪ Apologising for ourselves Apologising and being self-deprecating can let you off the hook.

▪ Home striker Paul Crimmen let them off the hook on a number of occasions and Horsham had two goals disallowed.

▪ I emphasize the tense because Congress has the habit of letting itself off the hook when convenient.

▪ It could even, in a pinch, get him off the hook for the nightly walk to the monument.

▪ Why, she wondered, when she had effectively let him off the hook?

▪ You could let them off the hook, or you could reel them in.

not let sb out of your sight

▪ Stay here, and don't let the baby out of your sight.

not let the grass grow under your feet

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

▪ Let him come home safely, she prayed.

▪ 200,00 sq ft of land was let to a local firm.

▪ I know he's grown up now, but it's hard for me to let go.

▪ I want to go to Europe this summer, but my parents won't let me.

▪ It'll drive you crazy if you let it.

▪ Nellie's house had a 'To Let' sign in the window.

▪ Sue doesn't let her kids eat candy.

▪ Thanks for letting me spend the night at your place.

▪ The company owns about 170 cottages in Britain, which it lets out to tourists.

▪ We wanted to go camping, but our parents wouldn't let us.

▪ You'd better let the dog out.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

▪ Away from her, he must feel like a boy let out of school.

▪ Because if you drive... hold on, let me just check some-thing.

▪ But let no one doubt that this earthquake will happen.

▪ If hungry he'd gnaw your ankle just to let you know to fill his bowl.

▪ My parents didn't want to let me go, but I begged them and promised to come back very quickly.

▪ So let us look at what factors appear to affect the performance of individuals in their jobs.

▪ They are the reason he asked Mobil to let him build a bigger store.

▪ Under no circumstances, however, should the Dole campaign let Buchanan speak during prime time at the Republican Convention.

II.noun

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

let (sth ↔) loose

let bygones be bygones

▪ Why don't we let bygones be bygones and forget about the whole thing.

▪ Although the book ended on a positive note in that the enemy's group leader tried to let bygones be bygones.

▪ He lets bygones be bygones, they say, and is always happy to welcome back the wayward.

▪ It raps a defector over the knuckles instantly but, after that, lets bygones be bygones.

▪ McVie credits Buckingham for letting bygones be bygones.

▪ Nor was he willing to let bygones be bygones once a quarrel had finally come to an end.

▪ We will let bygones be bygones.

let fly (sth)

▪ And there all the time, a line of kneeling archers, letting fly from behind their ranked shields.

▪ He located running back John Fuqua 20 yards downfield and let fly.

▪ If the threat still persists, he will let fly with one or both hindlegs.

▪ It seems that the Battler and Rico let fly at somebody who was coming out of the back door of the Regal Arms.

▪ Kimberley let fly at the dangling men from a hopeless range.

▪ Sit it on a hill and wait till the enemy is within half range and then let fly.

▪ The Bashers tightened lips, hunched shoulders, and let fly.

▪ You have only to come close enough to my hide and I let fly.

let it all hang out

▪ Each time you let it all hang out, you lower your threshold for doing it again.

▪ My face resembled the back of one of those baboons who let it all hang out at mating time.

▪ Now you can anonymously let it all hang out online.

▪ Was it possible to go too far, or should he just let it all hang out?

▪ We let it all hang out.

let it be known/make it known (that)

let it/her rip

let me be the judge of that

let me remind you/may I remind you (that)

let me see

▪ And Martini rolls a big, let me see, a big nineteen.

▪ But you could give me this project, put me in charge of the entire operation - and let me see it through.

▪ I promised to give it the fifty-one hours, so that's, let me see, forty-five left.

▪ Now let me see if I can split the difference.

▪ So far, let me see, it's two-eighty.

▪ Why won't you let me see your schoolbooks nowadays?

let nature take its course

▪ Just relax and let nature take its course.

▪ With a cold, it's better to just let nature take its course.

▪ I meant that, in the case of any other industry, we probably would have let nature take its course.

▪ I think we should let nature take its course.

▪ Should I just let nature take its course or stop it now?

▪ Stay calm and let nature take its course.

▪ The best is to obtain juveniles from a number of sources, rear them together and let nature take its course.

let rip

▪ Harriet finally let rip with 20 years of stored resentment.

▪ And picture the scene when a bunch of the boys let rip with the Toreador Song from Carmen.

▪ And, quite frankly, I just let rip.

▪ But Lord McNally, a Liberal Democrat, was able to let rip.

▪ Encouraged, and not noticing in his excitement the look of horror on his Rachel's face, Alfred let rip.

▪ He had carte blanche to let rip.

▪ In the end, the market is let rip.

▪ Out on the motorway he let rip.

let sb get on with it

let sb loose on sth

▪ He seemed to have forgotten about only letting me loose on water.

▪ We let the Pacer loose on two testers - one fast, one slow.

▪ Who was feeding him or even letting him loose on occasions?

let sb stew

let sleeping dogs lie

▪ The best plan is just to let sleeping dogs lie.

let sth drift

let sth pass

▪ When she started criticizing my parents, I couldn't let it pass.

let sth ride

▪ We can't just let this ride - this kid's future is at stake.

let sth slide

▪ Management has let safety standards slide at the plant.

let sth slip

let sth slip (through your fingers)

▪ And on most of the occasions when they had been alone together he hadn't let a chance slip by.

▪ As an aside, the parties let it slip that the idea of a true playoff system had been scrapped.

▪ Attention creates the foreground of consciousness, letting the rest slip into peripheral awareness.

▪ Be careful lads not to let this one slip away!

▪ Colin, on the other hand, became discouraged and let things slip.

▪ He held it up, and let it slip between his fingers.

▪ The Celtics let this one slip away slowly, painfully and needlessly.

▪ Wrapped up with visions of kissing Deborah, I had ignored his bedtime rituals and let him slip away.

let the cat out of the bag

▪ I'm sorry. Jim knows about last week's party. I'm afraid I let the cat out of the bag.

▪ Some idiot's let the cat out of the bag -- Mrs Simpson realizes there's something going on.

▪ Inadvertently perhaps, the BiE report lets the cat out of the bag.

let the genie out of the bottle

let the matter rest

▪ However, she can rest assured that we will not let the matter rest.

▪ I was going to knock for I was still intrigued by him but Benjamin called me so I let the matter rest.

▪ In her opinion anybody with any sense would let the matter rest there.

▪ Innocent maintained that Philip should have gone to Rome for absolution but for the moment he let the matter rest.

▪ Its opponents, however, were unlikely to let the matter rest where it stood in September 1932.

▪ She simply refused to let the matter rest where it.was.