LET Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

let 1 of 2

verb

ˈlet

Definition of let

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

as in to enable

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

In effect, stopping coach Will Wade from letting this kid exercise his fundamental right to play basketball. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026 In other words, let us not get caught up in a sin of omission. — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026 And if chasing the next fix has lost its appeal, letting the lines stay is always on the menu. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2026 The Department of Health and Human Services announced a new policy that will let small compounding pharmacies make six peptides that haven't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for let

Recent Examples of Synonyms for let

Verb

Davis voters appeared to favor Measure W in the first round of election results Tuesday night, a proposal that would allow construction of the 1,250-unit Willowgrove housing development on 234 acres north of East Covell Boulevard.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Anode-less designs address part of the manufacturing challenge by allowing lithium from the cathode to deposit onto a current collector during the first charge, forming the anode in place.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of allow

Verb

The high cost of borrowing could also be pushing house hunters across the country to rent instead of buy right now, said Benjamin Wright, a Miami real estate broker.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
Buying a home — or even finding an affordable place to rent — is increasingly out of reach for many.

— Jenny Jarvie Follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of rent

Verb

These enable you to explore the furthest corners of the site, much of which is festooned with gloriously flourishing bougainvillea.

— James Rampton, TheWeek, 3 Nov. 2026
The highly customizable shapes enable applications ranging from drug delivery systems to energy storage devices.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of enable

Verb

Voters who are feeling flush may be willing to tolerate a degree of self-dealing from politicians that becomes insupportable when grocery bills are high.

— Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
Most of the new towers remain concrete structures, but they’re now typically clad in glass, metal or masonry, and the frame — while expressed — is generally whipped up into a more interesting confection than Mies would have tolerated.

— Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of tolerate

Noun

For most people in the United States, this probably won't be an obstacle.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
But the world was deprived of this Minimalist presentation of Little Richard when the project foundered at the end of the decade amid financial obstacles and the difficulties of coordinating its all-star cast.

— Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of obstacle

Verb

Travelers who fail to present the statement at the time of boarding will not be permitted to board their flight, Avianca said.

— Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
From a decades-old parade in Yuba City to a multimillion-dollar museum overhaul to Tahoe National Forest Christmas tree permits going on sale, here’s a closer look at top Sacramento Bee stories from over the weekend.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of permit

Verb

With an adjacent property planned for a 1,000-unit residential subdivision on the Locust land that the family has leased for several years, a path to land ownership is critical to surviving development pressure.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 29 Oct. 2026
Mark Hackney, Hayes’ father, said the family is leasing and trying to sell the previous home in Prosper with some of their furniture still in it.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of lease

Verb

When custodians ignore or slow-walk responses, our FOIA rights diminish.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
While Florida’s legislatures have largely ignored a 2014 constitutional amendment voters approved to direct land sales taxes toward conservation, there have been several big land conservation pushes at the state level since then.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of ignore

Browse Nearby Words

lessors

let

let alone

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Let.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/let. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of let

verb

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on let

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quondam

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes

Synonyms of let

verb

noun

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Phrases Containing let

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on let

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

quondam

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes