let 1 of 2

verb

ˈlet How to pronounce let (audio)
Definition of letnext
1
as in to allow
to give permission to my parents would not let me drive until I had a job and could pay for my own gas

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to rent
chiefly British to give the possession and use of (something) in return for periodic payment the pensioner has begun letting rooms in her home to earn some extra money

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3
as in to enable
to make able or possible the low gravity on the moon lets you make enormous leaps and jumps

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to tolerate
to fail to prevent (some behavior on someone's part) especially from neglect or indifference they let their kids get away with murder

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

let

2 of 2

noun

as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult artists are allowed to sell their goods in the public square without let or hindrance

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word let different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of let are charter, hire, lease, and rent. While all these words mean "to engage or grant for use at a price," hire and let, strictly speaking, are complementary terms, hire implying the act of engaging or taking for use and let the granting of use.

we hired a car for the summer
decided to let the cottage to a young couple

When is it sensible to use charter instead of let?

While the synonyms charter and let are close in meaning, charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

When could lease be used to replace let?

The words lease and let can be used in similar contexts, but lease strictly implies a letting under the terms of a contract but is often applied to hiring on a lease.

the diplomat leased an apartment for a year

When might rent be a better fit than let?

Although the words rent and let have much in common, rent stresses the payment of money for the full use of property and may imply either hiring or letting.

instead of buying a house, they decided to rent
will not rent to families with children

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of let
Verb
Sit back and let this one do all your dirty work. —PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025 All the while, Rodrigues never let the outside noise faze him. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025 But before the puck drops, let’s make some bold predictions for how the season will unfold. —Max Bultman, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025 Nah lil Brodie let’s keep our hands off people! —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for let
Recent Examples of Synonyms for let
  1. allow
  2. rent
  3. enable
  4. tolerate
  5. obstacle
  6. permit
  7. lease
  8. ignore
Verb
  • However, those who wish to relocate can, and they will be allowed to return under the agreement.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
  • His administration also paused applications for parole programs and allowed ICE to cancel parole statuses of migrants.
    — Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Definition of allow
Verb
  • In 2019, McCarthan rented two apartments using an ID that had his photo but showed a soldier’s name and social security number.
    — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Furthermore, renting has become more affordable than buying a home in Nashville.
    — Molly Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Oct. 2025
Definition of rent
Verb
  • Moscow has also touted a Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) capability, enabling warheads to be placed on low-Earth orbital trajectories toward their targets, a profile that complicates early detection and interception.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
  • In analyzing dozens of hours of audio and video footage of public and private speaking events for McMahon’s appointees, as well as their writings, ProPublica found that a recurring theme is the desire to enable more families to leave public schools.
    — Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025
Definition of enable
Verb
  • Here, grizzlies don’t equate people with food—as opposed to populated areas where alluring smells forge a connection—and have learned to tolerate humans, thanks to decades of naturalists adopting nonthreatening practices.
    — Susan Portnoy, AFAR Media, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Water Chocolate cosmos tolerate dry conditions once established, but thrive with regular irrigation.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
Definition of tolerate
Noun
  • This small but mighty cleaner has dual side brushes, multiple cleaning modes, and obstacle-avoidance technology.
    — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Yet despite these obstacles, Pita’s voice has only grown louder, emerging as a leading figure in the global conversation on democracy and reform.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
Definition of obstacle
Verb
  • Such dreams of prosperity are only permitted for so long.
    — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • If required, an individual-sized soft-sided cooler will be permitted.
    — Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Oct. 2025
Definition of permit
Verb
  • Administration officials have advanced coal mine expansions and lease sales in Utah, North Dakota, Tennessee and Alabama, in addition to Montana and Wyoming.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
  • And after the war, Desai leased his own hotel in San Francisco, the Hotel Goldfield.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Definition of lease
Verb
  • Prizegivers have also in the past been accused of being snobbish, of having an anti-American bias and of ignoring some of the giants of literature, including Russia's Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, France's Emile Zola and Ireland's James Joyce.
    — Simon Johnson, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Hoping the broadcasts ignore that will always be a fruitless endeavor.
    — Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Definition of ignore

Phrases Containing let

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lessors
let
let alone
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Cite this Entry

“Let.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/let. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on let

Nglish: Translation of let for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about let

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