let (someone) off the hook

idiom

: 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 Liberal justices furiously hit back at the idea that Trump could be let off the hook for allegedly trying to overturn his loss in the 2020 election and stay in power. Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2024 Less than two hours after the decision was announced, thousands of Filipinos, angry that their corrupt president might be let off the hook, converged on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, a major crossroads in Manila. Clay Shirky, Foreign Affairs, 20 Dec. 2010 And he’s embroiled in an increasingly intense proxy war with the Iranian regime that Trump had been starving financially but Biden let off the hook upon taking office. Rich Lowry, National Review, 4 Feb. 2024 In response, his lawyer, Isabelle Kirshner, detailed the terms of his former plea deal and how Hadden was let off the hook. Elly Belle, refinery29.com, 20 Sep. 2020 See all Example Sentences for let (someone) off the hook 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'let (someone) off the hook.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Let (someone) off the hook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/let%20%28someone%29%20off%20the%20hook. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.

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