let 1 (l?t)v. let, let·ting, lets v.tr.1. To give permission or opportunity to; allow: I let them borrow the car. The inheritance let us finally buy a house. See Usage Note at leave1.2. To cause to; make: Let the news be known.3. a. Used as an auxiliary in the imperative to express a command, request, or proposal: Let’s finish the job! Let x equal y.b. Used as an auxiliary in the imperative to express a warning or threat: Just let her try!4. To permit to enter, proceed, or depart: let the dog in.5. To release from or as if from confinement: let the air out of the balloon; let out a yelp.6. To rent or lease: let rooms.7. To award, especially after bids have been submitted: let the construction job to a new firm.v.intr.1. To become rented or leased.2. To be or become assigned, as to a contractor.Phrasal Verbs: let down1. To cause to come down gradually; lower: let down the sails.2. To withdraw support from; forsake.3. To fail to meet the expectations of; disappoint. let on1. To allow to be known; admit: Don’t let on that you know me.2. To pretend. let out1. To come to a close; end: School let out early. The play let out at 10:30.2. To make known; reveal: Who let that story out?3. To increase the size of (a garment, for example): let out a coat. let up1. To slow down; diminish: didn’t let up in their efforts.2. To become less severe or intense: The rain let up.Idioms: let alone Not to mention; much less: “Their ancestors had been dirt poor and never saw royalty, let alone hung around with them” (Garrison Keillor). let go To cease to employ; dismiss: had to let 20 workers go. let off on Informal To cause to diminish, as in pressure; ease up on: Let off on the gas so that we do not exceed the speed limit. let (one’s) hair down To drop one’s reserve or inhibitions. let (someone) have it Informal 1. To beat, strike, or shoot at someone.2. To scold or punish. let (someone) in on1. To reveal (a secret) to someone: They finally let me in on their plans.2. To allow someone to participate in (something). let up on To be or become more lenient with: Why don’t you let up on the poor child?[Middle English leten, from Old English l?tan; see l?- in Indo-European roots.]let 2 (l?t)n.1. Something that hinders; an obstacle: free to investigate without let or hindrance.2. Sports An invalid stroke in tennis and other net games that requires a replay.tr.v. let·ted or let, let·ting, lets Archaic To hinder or obstruct.[Middle English lette, from letten, to hinder, from Old English lettan; see l?- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.let (l?t) vb (tr; usually takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive) , lets, letting or let1. to permit; allow: she lets him roam around. 2. (imperative or dependent imperative) a. used as an auxiliary to express a request, proposal, or command, or to convey a warning or threat: let’s get on; just let me catch you here again!. b. (in mathematical or philosophical discourse) used as an auxiliary to express an assumption or hypothesis: let “a” equal “b”. c. used as an auxiliary to express resigned acceptance of the inevitable: let the worst happen. 3. a. to allow the occupation of (accommodation) in return for rentb. to assign (a contract for work)4. to allow or cause the movement of (something) in a specified direction: to let air out of a tyre. 5. informal Irish to utter: to let a cry. 6. let alone a. (conjunction) much less; not to mention: I can’t afford wine, let alone champagne. b. let be leave alone leave be to refrain from annoying or interfering with: let the poor cat alone. 7. let be leave alone leave be to refrain from annoying or interfering with: let the poor cat alone. 8. let go See go1599. to set free10. informal to make (a sound or remark) suddenly: he let loose a hollow laugh. 11. (Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) informal to discharge (rounds) from a gun or guns: they let loose a couple of rounds of ammunition. nBrit the act of letting property or accommodation: the majority of new lets are covered by the rent regulations. [Old English l?tan to permit; related to Gothic l?tan, German lassen]let (l?t) n1. an impediment or obstruction (esp in the phrase without let or hindrance)2. (Tennis) tennis squash a. a minor infringement or obstruction of the ball, requiring a point to be replayedb. the point so replayed3. (Squash & Fives) tennis squash a. a minor infringement or obstruction of the ball, requiring a point to be replayedb. the point so replayedvb, lets, letting, letted or let (tr) archaic to hinder; impede[Old English lettan to hinder, from læt late; related to Old Norse letja]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014let1 (l?t) v. let, let?ting. v.t. 1. to allow or permit: to let one’s hair grow. 2. to allow to pass, go, or come: He let us into the house. 3. to cause to; make: to let her know the truth. 4. (used in the imperative as an auxiliary expressive of a request, command, warning, suggestion, etc.): Let me see. Let’s go. Just let them try it! 5. to grant the occupancy or use of for rent or hire: to let rooms. 6. to contract or assign for performance: to let work to a carpenter. v.i. 7. to admit of being leased: an apartment to let for $200 a week. 8. let down, a. to disappoint or betray; fail. b. to lower. c. to make (a garment) longer. d. (of an airplane) to descend to a lower altitude for landing. 9. let in on, to allow to share in: I’ll let you in on a secret. 10. let off, a. to release explosively: to let off steam. b. to excuse from work or responsibility. c. to release with little or no punishment. 11. let on, a. to reveal, as information or one’s true feelings. b. to pretend. 12. let out, a. to make known. b. to release from confinement, restraint, etc. c. to alter (a garment) so as to make larger or looser. d. to be finished or dismissed: School lets out in May. 13. let up, a. to abate; diminish. b. to cease; stop. 14. let up on, to become more lenient with. Idioms: let be, to refrain from interfering with or bothering. 15. let someone have it, Informal. to attack or assault. [before 900; Middle English; Old English l?tan, c. Old Saxon l?tan, Old High German l?zan, Old Norse l?ta, Gothic letan; akin to late] syn: See allow. usage: Perhaps because let’s has come to be felt as a word in its own right rather than as the contraction of let us, it often occurs in informal speech and writing with redundant or appositional pronouns: Let’s us plan a picnic. Let’s you and I (or me) get together tomorrow. Usage guides suggest avoiding these constructions. let2 (l?t) n. 1. (in tennis, badminton, etc.) any shot or action that must be replayed, esp. an otherwise valid serve that has hit the top of the net. 2. Chiefly Law. an impediment or obstacle: to act without let or hindrance. [before 900; Middle English letten (v.), lette (n.; derivative of the v.), Old English lettan] -let a diminutive suffix attached to nouns (booklet; piglet; ringlet), and, by extraction from bracelet, a suffix denoting a band, ornament, or article of clothing worn on the part of the body specified by the noun (anklet; wristlet). [Middle English -let, -lette Allow, permit, and let are all used to say that someone is given permission to do something, or is not prevented from doing something. Permit is a formal word.Allow and permit are followed by an object and a to-infinitive clause.You can say that people are not allowed to do something or are not permitted to do something.You can also say that something is not allowed or that it is not permitted.Let is followed by an object and an infinitive without to.You don’t usually use ‘let’ in the passive. Don’t say, for example, ‘She was let go to the party’.Don’t confuse any of these words with enable. To enable someone to do something means to give them the opportunity to do it. It does not mean to give them permission to do it.If you pay a sum of money in order to use something for a short period of time, you can say that you hire it or rent it. Hire is more common in British English and rent is more common in American English.If you make a series of payments in order to use something for a long period, you say that you rent it. You do not usually say that you ‘hire’ it.If you hire something from someone, you can say that they hire it out to you.If you rent something from someone, you can say that they rent it out to you.If you rent a building or piece of land from someone, you can say that they let it to you or let it out to you. The past tense and -ed participle of let is let.This usage is more common in British English than American English. The usual American terms are rent and rent out.Let is used to say that someone allows someone else to do something. After the object, you use an infinitive without to.Be Careful!Don’t use a to-infinitive or an -ing form after let. Don’t say, for example, ‘He lets me to use his telephone’ or ‘He lets me using his telephone’.The past tense and -ed participle of let is let.Be Careful!There is no passive form of let. Don’t say, for example, ‘He was let go’ or ‘He was let to go’. If you want to use a passive form, use a different verb, such as allow or permit.If you let someone know something, you tell them about it.People often use let me when they are offering to do something for someone.