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
Transfer steak to a small wire rack or plate and let rest 10 minutes. — Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 July 2026 Lest things get predictable, Tasjan’s adept at letting the music battle with the lyrics in a way that hints at how any experience is far more complex than we are led to believe. — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026 Why not just let Benton slink away, as others before him have done? — Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026 On July 15, the same day the Cerf news broke, DoorDash quietly opened a limited beta of dd-cli, a command-line tool that lets developers and AI agents search stores, build carts and place real food orders. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 17 July 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
  • Only people whose physical condition prevents them from doing so would be allowed to receive assistance from a doctor or a nurse.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 July 2026
  • Even if a third party such as Oman collected the fees, tolls would likely still breach international maritime laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), allowing insurers to reject voyages or terminate cover.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of allow
Verb
  • And even with funds, many landlords don’t want to rent to those with criminal convictions.
    — Amber Gaudet July 18, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
  • Göransson rented 35 bronze gongs of varying sizes and experimented with them.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 July 2026
Definition of rent
Verb
  • Researchers also aim to integrate the sensing-actuation loop directly into soft robots, enabling instinctive responses, while using its rich force signals to improve perception and interaction in complex environments.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
  • At a recent meeting, the district’s school board approved a contract with EverDriven, which provides private transportation services for other Illinois school districts, that will enable the district to try out working with the company.
    — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026
Definition of enable
Verb
  • The Democratic Party, less than four months from a pivotal midterm election, is navigating a new kind of culture war over exactly what kind of behavior — from candidates and staff — the party should tolerate.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
  • Engineers also incorporated seismic protection features that allow the bridge to better tolerate ground movement, an essential requirement in one of the world’s most seismically active regions.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
Definition of tolerate
Noun
  • Despite the obstacles, families will be moving into the two units within the next few weeks and will be able to stay for as long as necessary.
    — Julianna Mejia July 16, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026
  • Any effort to federalize or take over elections would face serious legal obstacles, said Nahal Kazemi, a Chapman University law professor.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of obstacle
Verb
  • Basabe seemed unaware of the man’s presence in the courthouse, after Marsh had ruled before trial that the man would not be permitted as a witness.
    — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026
  • The Uniform Time Act of 1966 act permitted moving clocks forward one hour in March, and back one hour in November.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026
Definition of permit
Verb
  • Local first-quarter net absorption, the difference between space leased and vacated, and often a sign of turnover, was a negative 179,000 square feet.
    — Hang Nguyen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026
  • The district can lease the property, but even then, the tenant can not run any sort of gambling operation on the site.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2026
Definition of lease
Verb
  • The suspect allegedly attempted to flee again by jumping fences and ignoring the officers’ commands to stop, but was apprehended and placed in custody.
    — Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 16 July 2026
  • But aside from dispatching shotgun-toting police agents to keep an eye on them, Venezuelan authorities mostly ignored the protesters.
    — John Otis, NPR, 16 July 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 19 Jul. 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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