let alone

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let¹

(lĕt)

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.

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 down

1. 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 on

1. To allow to be known; admit: Don't let on that you know me.

2. To pretend.

let out

1. 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 up

1. 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 on

1. 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 lǣtan; see lē- in Indo-European roots.]

let²

(lĕt)

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 lē- 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.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adv.

let alone - much less; "she can't boil potatoes, let alone cook a meal"

not to mention

Translations

ناهيكَ عَن

nemluvě o

for slet ikke at tale om

hvaî òá heldur

nieto ešte

neredeşöyle dursun

更不用说还不算

let¹

(let) – present participle ˈletting: past tense, past participle let – verb

1. to allow or permit. She refused to let her children go out in the rain; Let me see your drawing.

2. to cause to. I will let you know how much it costs.

3. used for giving orders or suggestions. If they will not work, let them starve; Let's (= let us) leave right away!

let alone

not to mention; without taking into consideration. There's no room for all the adults, let alone the children.

let (someone or something) alone/be

to leave alone; not to disturb or worry. Why don't you let him be when he's not feeling well!; Do let your father alone.

let down

1. to lower. She let down the blind.

2. to disappoint or fail to help when necessary etc. You must give a film show at the party – you can't let the children down (noun ˈlet-down); She felt he had let her down by not coming to see her perform.

3. to make flat by allowing the air to escape. When he got back to his car, he found that some children had let his tyres down.

4. to make longer. She had to let down the child's skirt.

let fall

to drop. She was so startled she let fall everything she was carrying.

let go (of)

to stop holding (something). Will you let go of my coat!; When he was nearly at the top of the rope he suddenly let go and fell.

let in/out

to allow to come in, go out. Let me in!; I let the dog out.

let in for

to involve (someone) in. I didn't know what I was letting myself in for when I agreed to do that job.

let in on

to allow to share (a secret etc). We'll let her in on our plans.

let off

1. to fire (a gun) or cause (a firework etc) to explode. He let the gun off accidentally.

2. to allow to go without punishment etc. The policeman let him off (with a warning).

let up to become less strong or violent; to stop: I wish the rain would let up (noun ˈlet-up)

let well alone

to allow things to remain as they are, in order not to make them worse.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

If the millionaire had been let alone he would have devoured the tiger."

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All he asked of other dogs was to be let alone. His whole life he had kept aloof from his kind, and he still desired to keep aloof.

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I know what you mean now: you mean that--to be let alone yourself and not followed up--you'll cease to worry and spy upon me, won't keep me so close to you, will let me go and come.

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As for me, you know, all that I ask is to be let alone, and not to have people's society forced upon me.

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There was another wait of half an hour toward nine o'clock, but I had gone through so much by that time that I had no spirit left, and so had no desire but to be let alone.

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"It was folly to have thought of going in the first place, let alone staying.

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I'm on your side now, hand and glove; and I shouldn't wish for to see the party weakened, let alone yourself, seeing as I know what I owes you.

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He said he would split open a raw Irish potato and stick the quarter in between and keep it there all night, and next morning you couldn't see no brass, and it wouldn't feel greasy no more, and so anybody in town would take it in a minute, let alone a hair-ball.

View in context

A large faith he might seem to have in what is called "natural optimism," the beauty and benignity of nature, if let alone, in her mechanical round of changes with man and beast and flower.

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He will, sir, for the hatred and malice that he bears to you; let alone the pleasure of doing a bad action, which to him is its own reward.

View in context

She's well enough if she'd let alone preachin'; an' I hear as she's a-goin' away back to her own country soon.

View in context

Her father was a man who had wanted to be let alone and the affairs of the hotel would not let him alone.

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