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 golfSports Illus.
how many ever see an Ambassador or Minister, let alone a PresidentRobert Lacville

Examples 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
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.
The loud corridor of Madison Square Garden isn’t an ideal place to talk to anyone, let alone about a sensitive subject. Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025 Inside were six tickets for each of that season’s Indiana University football games, free to him as a dorm resident because, to put it bluntly, no one was terribly interested in going to Hoosier football games, let alone paying for them. Dana O'Neil, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025 The biggest story in sports, let alone the NBA, was the FBI gambling probe that was announced on Thursday, which involved the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard Damon Jones, among many others. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025 But until that happens, tracking use of screens—let alone trying to curtail it—will have little meaning. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for let alone

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of let alone was in 1765

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Let alone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/let%20alone. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

let alone

conjunction
: to say nothing of : not to mention
lacked the courage, let alone the know-how
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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