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 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 Whitney’s drug use is presented as a solo endeavor, or as a part of her relationship with R&B bad boy Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders), while other members of her inner circle are let off the hook. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2022 Poll workers in the Peach State won’t be let off the hook anytime soon. al, 11 Nov. 2020 Neither defense was great, but they were let off the hook by the ineptitude of both offenses. Tyler Dragon, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2022 Amazon cannot continue to be let off the hook for putting hard working people’s lives at risk. Ashlee Banks, Essence, 13 Dec. 2021 But Trump's federal tax returns, as well as loan documents filed in Cook County, Ill., provide clues to what happened: Trump was let off the hook for about $270 million. David Enrich, Star Tribune, 29 Oct. 2020 These jails are under the government’s control, and they shouldn’t be let off the hook for that. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 28 Oct. 2020

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 19 Mar. 2024.

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