letdown

let·down | \ ˈlet-ˌdau̇n

How to pronounce letdown (audio)

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Definition of letdown

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : discouragement, disappointment his latest novel is a letdown

b : a slackening of effort : relaxation

2 : the descent of an aircraft or spacecraft to the point at which a landing approach is begun

3 : a physiological response of a lactating mammal to suckling and allied stimuli whereby previously secreted milk from the acini is expelled into ducts and drawn through the nipple

let down

let down; letting down; lets down

Definition of let down (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to allow to descend gradually

2a : to fail to support felt her parents had let her down

b : disappoint the plot lets you down at the end afraid of letting his father down

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about letdown

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Examples of letdown in a Sentence

Noun the museum exhibit was just so-so, and we returned home with a vague sense of letdown the eagerly anticipated new movie starring our favorite actor turned out to be a big letdown Verb with my poor performance I really felt that I had let my teammates down

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun For Hahnville, the loss was quite the letdown from the 47-40 victory last week against Terrebonne. — Chris Dabe, NOLA.com, "East St. John dominates from the start in 7-5A win against Hahnville," 16 Oct. 2020 As for pure football disappointments, the Atlanta Falcons have to be the biggest letdown. — Usa Today Sports, USA TODAY, "NFL Week 5 roundtable: What are biggest disappointments of 2020 season so far?," 11 Oct. 2020 And the bullpen, baseball’s best during the regular season, was a letdown more often than not, never more so than Thursday. — Susan Slusser, SFChronicle.com, "A’s season ends as Astros top Oakland 11-6 to win ALDS in 4 games," 8 Oct. 2020 In the wake of this letdown, company officials were upbeat, promising to move swiftly toward another launch attempt. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Virgin Orbit has a unique launch capability, but it’s come at a high price," 6 Oct. 2020 Week Two proved to be a letdown for Leach’s program, losing 21-14 to an Arkansas team that had lost its last 20 SEC games. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Once paid in beef jerky, Mike Leach left an impact in short stint at Kentucky football," 5 Oct. 2020 Tom Herman made his weekly Zoom appearance Monday and said all the things Texas’ coach should two days removed from the sort of letdown that can alter a season. — Nick Moyle, ExpressNews.com, "Tom Herman not panicking after No. 22 Texas’ loss to TCU," 5 Oct. 2020 That sense of letdown, the lack of a true smoking gun, obscured just how much damning evidence the team did assemble about the president and his campaign team—even to themselves. — Garrett M. Graff, Wired, "An Insider's Look at How the Mueller Investigation Fell Flat," 29 Sep. 2020 That deepened a slump that began during Tuesday's regular trading session as investors began to brace for a potential letdown. — CBS News, "Tesla CEO Elon Musk boasts 500 miles on a single charge at Battery Day event," 23 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'letdown.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near letdown

let bygones be bygones

let down one's guard

Statistics for letdown

Last Updated

20 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Letdown.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/letdown. Accessed 24 Oct. 2020.

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More Definitions for letdown

letdown

noun

English Language Learners Definition of letdown

: something that is not as good as it was expected to be

See the full definition for letdown in the English Language Learners Dictionary

letdown

let·down | \ ˈlet-ˌdau̇n

\

Kids Definition of letdown

: disappointment sense 2

letdown

\ ˈlet-ˌdau̇n \

Medical Definition of letdown

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a physiological response of a lactating mammal to suckling and allied stimuli whereby increased intramammary pressure forces previously secreted milk from the acini and finer tubules into the main collecting ducts from where it can be drawn through the nipple

let down

transitive verb

\ -ˈdau̇n

\

Medical Definition of let down (Entry 2 of 2)

: to release (formed milk) within the mammary gland or udder

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