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let off

phrasal verb

let off; letting off; lets off
1
: to allow (someone) to get off a bus, an airplane, etc.
Could you let me off (the bus) at the next stop, please?
The bus stopped to let off a few passengers.
2
: to allow (someone who has been caught doing something wrong or illegal) to go without being punished
The police officer let her off with just a warning.
They let him off easy/easily/lightly, if you ask me.
3
: to cause (something) to explode or to be released in a forceful way
let off a firecracker
opened the valve to let off pressure

Examples of let off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In September, a driverless taxi was caught on video illegally passing a school bus as children were being let off in Georgia. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 28 Nov. 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 Which is fair, considering Reid’s prologue begins with and never really lets off the gas in that regard. Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025 He was cocked and firing before Franklin went into his break, the type of throw Nix normally lets off to Sutton. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 9 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for let off

Cite this Entry

“Let off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/let%20off. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.

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