letdown

noun

let·down | \ ˈlet-ˌdau̇n

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

verb

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

The last time Kenyan Drake was the featured back of an offense was his high school days at Hillgrove High, and those expecting Miami to put more on his plate this season might be setting themselves up for a letdown. — Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, "Dolphins training camp Day 2: Stock up, stock down and other observations," 26 July 2019 If this episode sounds like the setup to a salacious industry tell-all or rings of the workplace scandals involving Matt Lauer and Louis C.K., readers are doomed for a letdown. — Pete Tosiello, Washington Post, "Karen Dukess’s ‘The Last Book Party’ is a postcard from another era," 10 July 2019 Despite Sunday’s letdown, Bowden dominated as the Yard Goats’ closer, converting all 20 of his save opportunities before being promoted to Albuquerque on June 20. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, "Rockies’ pitching prospect Ben Bowden blows save in 2019 MLB all-star Futures Game," 7 July 2019 Despite considerable hype, the show was a letdown, and ended with a main event between The Undertaker and Bill Goldberg that the company would rather soon forget. — Justin Barrasso, SI.com, "Undertaker-Goldberg Was the Nadir of an Eventful Weekend in Wrestling," 10 June 2019 Perhaps the biggest letdown of the Stadia pricing model, though, is that the games will only be sold à la carte, at prices comparable to those on other platforms (aside from a few Pro-tier freebies, starting with Destiny 2). — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Despite “revolutionary” promises, Stadia’s biz model is pure establishment," 6 June 2019 The pairing might be considered a bit of a letdown to Maryland fans, given that the Terps have been picked in the top 10 by various early preseason polls, and as high as No. 4 by The Athletic. — Don Markus, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland men's basketball to host Notre Dame in 2019 Big Ten/ACC Challenge," 6 June 2019 At first glance, the big news coming out of this summer’s conference on the theory of computing appeared to be something of a letdown. — Quanta Magazine, "A New Map Traces the Limits of Computation," 29 Sep. 2015 Unfortunately for Hong Kong, some of its biggest IPOs have been a big letdown for investors, notably in the tech sector. — Andrew Peaple, WSJ, "An Ugly Victory for Hong Kong in the IPO Derby," 31 Dec. 2018

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 bug

let bygones be bygones

Statistics for letdown

Last Updated

6 Aug 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for letdown

The first known use of letdown was in the 12th century

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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

letdown

noun

let·down | \ ˈlet-ˌdau̇n

Kids Definition of letdown

: disappointment sense 2

letdown

noun

\ 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