let (someone) off the hook

phrase

: to allow (someone who has been caught doing something wrong or illegal) to go without being punished

If you ask me, they let him off the hook too easily.

Examples of let (someone) off the hook in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Martha asked to be let off the hook for the afternoon, and, since no one oversaw the parents, no one opposed this. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026

In some ways, Henry gets a redemption in the end, but he isn’t let off the hook. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 1 Jan. 2026

The cop claims to be acting on a tip from a confidential informant, and is instantly let off the hook. — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2025

But there are other turkeys on Capitol Hill who do not deserve to be let off the hook, not by the president, and not by taxpayers. — Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025