- 1 [no passive] to allow somebody to do something or something to happen without trying to stop it let somebody/something do something Let them splash around in the pool for a while. Don't let her upset you. Let your body relax. let somebody/something He'd eat chocolate all day long if I let him.
- 2 to give somebody permission to do something let somebody/something do something They won't let him leave the country. let somebody/something She wanted to lend me some money but I wouldn't let her.
- 3 let somebody/something + adv./prep. to allow somebody/something to go somewhere to let somebody into the house I'll give you a key so that you can let yourself in. Please let me past. The cat wants to be let out. making suggestions
- 4 let’s [no passive] let (do something) used for making suggestions Let's go to the beach. Let's not tell her what we did. (British English) Don't let's tell her what we did. I don't think we'll make it, but let's try anyway. ‘Shall we check it again?’ ‘Yes, let's.’ offering help
- 5 [no passive] let somebody/something do something used for offering help to somebody Here, let me do it. Let us get those boxes down for you. making requests
- 6[no passive] let somebody/something do something used for making requests or giving instructions Let me have your report by Friday. challenging
- 7[no passive] let somebody/something do something used to show that you are not afraid or worried about somebody doing something If he thinks he can cheat me, just let him try! wishing
- 8[no passive] let somebody/something do something (literary) used to express a strong wish for something to happen Let her come home safely! introducing something
- 9[no passive] let somebody/something do something used to introduce what you are going to say or do Let me give you an example. Let me just finish this and then I'll come. in calculating
- 10[no passive] let somebody/something do something (specialist) used to say that you are supposing something to be true when you calculate something Let line AB be equal to line CD. house/room
- 11 let something (out) (to somebody) (especially British English) to allow somebody to use a house, room, etc. in return for regular payments I let the spare room. They decided to let out the smaller offices at low rents. see also buy-to-let Wordfinderhomeaccommodation, deed, home, house, lease, let, location, mortgage, squat, tenant CollocationsMoving house Renting live in a rented/(especially North American English) rental property rent/share/move into a furnished house/(British English) flat/(especially North American English) apartment rent a studio/(British English) a studio flat/(especially North American English) a studio apartment/(British English) a bedsit find/get a housemate/(British English) a flatmate/(North American English) a roommate sign/break the lease/rental agreement/contract extend/renew/terminate the lease/(British English) tenancy afford/pay the rent/the bills/(North American English) the utilities (especially British English) fall behind with/ (especially North American English) fall behind on the rent pay/lose/return a damage deposit/(North American English) security deposit give/receive a month’s/two-weeks’ notice to leave/vacate the propertyBeing a landlord have a flat/apartment/room (British English) to let/(especially North American English) for rent rent (out)/lease (out)/ (British English) let (out)/sublet a flat/apartment/house/property collect/increase/raise the rent evict the existing tenants attract/find new/prospective tenants invest in rental property/(British English) property to let/(British English) the buy-to-let marketBuying buy/acquire/purchase a house/(a) property/(especially North American English) (a piece of) prime real estate call/contact/use (British English) an estate agent/(North American English) a Realtor™/(North American English) a real estate agent/broker make/ (British English) put in an offer on a house put down/save for (British English) a deposit on a house make/put/save for (especially North American English) a down payment on a house/home apply for/arrange/take out a mortgage/home loan (struggle to) pay the mortgage make/meet/keep up/cover the monthly mortgage payments/(British English also) repayments (British English) repossess/ (especially North American English) foreclose on somebody’s home/houseSelling put your house/property on the market/up for sale/up for auction increase/lower your price/the asking price have/hold/hand over the deed/(especially British English) deeds of/to the house, land, etc. British/Americanrent / hire / letVerbs You can hire something for a short period of time , (British English only)) but rent something for a longer period:We can hire bikes for a day to explore the town. We don’t own our TV, we rent it. In North American English, rent is always used. It is sometimes now used in British English instead of hire, too. The owners of a thing can hire it out for a short period:(British English) Do you hire out bikes? Or they can rent (out)/let (out) a building, etc:We rent out rooms in our house to students. Outside a building you could see:(British English) To let (especially North American English) For rent. To hire can also mean to employ somebody, especially in North American English:We hired a new secretary. see also leaseNouns The amount of money that you pay to rent something is rent or rental (more formal). When you hire something you pay a hire charge (British English). On a sign outside a shop you might see:(British English) Bikes for hire. see also let, lease, hire See related entries: Renting a home Word Originverb Old English lǣtan ‘leave behind, leave out’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch laten and German lassen, also to late.Extra examples Don’t let it upset you. I wanted to drive but she wouldn’t let me. I’ll give you a key so you can let yourself in. Let me help you with your luggage. They never let the children play outside. They won’t let him leave the country.Idioms Most idioms containing let are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example let alone is at alone.
- 1 to allow somebody to be free synonym free Will they let the hostages go?
- 2to make somebody have to leave their job They're having to let 100 employees go because of falling profits. See related entries: Unemployment
- 1 to stop holding somebody/something Don't let the rope go. Don't let go of the rope. Let go! You're hurting me!
- 2to give up an idea or an attitude, or control of something It's time to let the past go. It's time to let go of the past.
- 1to behave in a relaxed way without worrying about what people think of your behaviour Come on, enjoy yourself, let yourself go!
- 2to stop being careful about how you look and dress, etc. He has let himself go since he lost his job.
verb jump to other results
BrE BrE//let//; NAmE NAmE//let//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they let BrE BrE//let//; NAmE NAmE//let//
he / she / it lets BrE BrE//lets//; NAmE NAmE//lets//
past simple let BrE BrE//let//; NAmE NAmE//let//
past participle let BrE BrE//let//; NAmE NAmE//let//
-ing form letting BrE BrE//ˈletɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈletɪŋ//
Renting a hometo mention something in a conversation, by accident or as if by accident synonym drop She let fall a further heavy hint.
to stop taking care of a house, garden, etc. I'm afraid I've let the garden go this year. Let the house go in order to spend time with the kids.
(informal) to attack somebody physically or with words
to say or do no more about something I don't entirely agree, but I'll let it go at that. I thought she was hinting at something, but I let it go.
used when you are thinking or trying to remember something Now let me see—where did he say he lived?
used when making a suggestion or giving an example I can let you have it for, well let's say £100.
Check pronunciation: let
