let alone
conjunction
: to say nothing of : not to mention
—used especially to emphasize the improbability of a contrasting example
he would never walk again let alone play golf—
Sports Illus.
Sports Illus.how many ever see an Ambassador or Minister, let alone a President—Robert Lacville
Robert LacvilleExamples of let alone in a Sentence
I don't have enough money for a new car, let alone a luxury sedan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Much of what drives us is hidden from ourselves, let alone others.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Only a small group of people in the world would be capable of developing such questions, let alone answering them.
—Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 6 June 2025
Worse, this failure would be an obstacle to achieving the ten-year 2.6 percent growth target that the House Budget Committee has set (let alone Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent’s goal of 3 percent growth).
—Joshua Rauh, National Review, 4 June 2025
Ukraine and Russia are due for another round of direct negotiations in Istanbul, with the timing yet to be agreed, though progress toward a temporary ceasefire is slow, let alone a full peace deal as desired by U.S. President Donald Trump.
—Shane Croucher
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for let alone
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Only a small group of people in the world would be capable of developing such questions, let alone answering them.
—Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 6 June 2025
Worse, this failure would be an obstacle to achieving the ten-year 2.6 percent growth target that the House Budget Committee has set (let alone Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent’s goal of 3 percent growth).
—Joshua Rauh, National Review, 4 June 2025
Ukraine and Russia are due for another round of direct negotiations in Istanbul, with the timing yet to be agreed, though progress toward a temporary ceasefire is slow, let alone a full peace deal as desired by U.S. President Donald Trump.
—Shane Croucher
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for let alone
Cite this Entry
“Let alone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/let%20alone. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share