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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Don’t let the sweetness fool you. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026 Don’t let a super-temporary money panic lead to a poor long-term choice. —Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026 Grainy physics in action Rather than controlling the material with electronics, the team let the physics do the work. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026 Advertisement If your friend is adamant that therapy won’t help them, Emma suggests letting the conversation go. —Angela Haupt, Time, 24 Feb. 2026 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
  • Over the match’s final 48 minutes, the Coastal defense allowed only two shots on goal.
    — Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The recall process allows any registered voter to initiate a recall for any reason, or none at all.
    — David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of allow
Verb
  • Those pressures have pushed some residents to rent out rooms, build accessory dwelling units, or live in RVs to make ends meet.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Customers can also opt to rent one of the premium games for a certain time slot.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of rent
Verb
  • The transition, even under the best of circumstances, was going to be complicated, given the relatively short eight-month timeline to switch over a million retail fiber customers and 4 million enabled fiber locations in 11 states.
    — Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026
  • This flexibility is intended to enable more advanced maneuvering and mission profiles than traditional hypersonic boost-glide and cruise missile systems.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of enable
Verb
  • City leaders in Miami Beach have laid out their plans for incoming Spring Break crowds in a matter of weeks, saying that chaos this year will not be tolerated.
    — Chelsea Jones, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Property owners who tolerate habitual nuisances will have to meet certain standards set by the city and pay fees to reimburse the city for enforcement resources.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2026
Definition of tolerate
Noun
  • Analysts say Kim's vilification of South Korea reflects his view that Seoul, which helped set up his first meetings with Trump, is no longer a useful intermediary with Washington but an obstacle to his effort to establish a more assertive regional footing.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Feb. 2026
  • This season has one of the greatest obstacles between the leads.
    — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of obstacle
Verb
  • But because of the area’s shortage of medical specialists, the New Mexico Human Services Department requested a waiver on his behalf that permitted him to resume practice and continue treating cancer patients as the only oncologist in all of Luna County, a remote rural region.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
  • More than 20 states currently have agreements with the agency permitting them to do so; Landry, the Louisiana Secretary of State, highlighted that SAVE had been used in her state’s ongoing investigation.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Definition of permit
Verb
  • Forcing millions of people to give up their subsidy every few years could also rattle the private landlords who lease to those with a housing voucher.
    — Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The nonprofit leases the buildings back to DPS, which allows Denver School Facilities to mortgage the buildings with a bank trustee that collateralizes the buildings in exchange for debt proceeds, according to the lawsuit.
    — Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of lease
Verb
  • Visiting boats moor in the bay but keep to the far side, close enough to admire and distant enough to ignore.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Feb. 2026
  • And, presumably, she’s ignored that.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026
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 2 Mar. 2026.

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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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