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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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

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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
And only driver’s window, so forget about letting your companion in first. —Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025 Place cookies, chocolate sides up, on a wire rack; let stand until set. —Jenavieve Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025 These guys always wanna act like let’s reinvent the wheel. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2025 So let’s get into season-two storylines without spoiling anything for our readers. —Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 23 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
  • But if he’s not allowed to do the most important job of an AD, how does that impact everything else?
    — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The 32-year-old was pulled after 116 pitches and allowing two baserunners.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Definition of allow
Verb
  • The ordinance incentivizes people to potentially rent out their homes during the World Cup through platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo without having to pay taxes associated with the use of commercial spaces.
    — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025
  • After a brief stint renting a home in Orrington, Maine (more on that below), the Kings returned to Lovell in 1979.
    — Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of rent
Verb
  • The research team revealed that during the HTC process, iron was incorporated to impart magnetic properties to the resulting hydrochar, enabling post-treatment recovery using an external magnet.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025
  • This is what enables people from such diverse backgrounds to come together, just through the medium of K-pop.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
Definition of enable
Verb
  • This low-maintenance shrubs tolerates deer and rabbit browsing, dry soil, and drought.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Some, like tropical hibiscus, won’t tolerate it at all.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of tolerate
Noun
  • Shiffrin doesn't view this as an obstacle either, nor something to fear at this stage of the game.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Minister Kabawat’s optimism comes despite immense obstacles.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Definition of obstacle
Verb
  • During that time, Ashley has said he's been working on a policy that is both strong and permits access to the courthouse complex but has acknowledged the limitations of what is legally permissible.
    — Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Because John Herschel believed that the correlation between magnetic storms and auroras revealed both to be meteorological phenomena, the new observatories would be equipped with weather instruments that, in time, would permit the first global measurements of climate change.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Definition of permit
Verb
  • McCourt still owns 50% of the parking lot, and leases it out to Guggenheim.
    — Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Since the city does not own the adjacent former Staples building, which Spirit Halloween is leasing, there are no plans for that building to be part of the redevelopment, said Middletown Vice Mayor Steve West.
    — Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 23 Oct. 2025
Definition of lease
Verb
  • Over the summer the FDA convened a panel on the safety of certain antidepressants in pregnancy that tried to cast doubt on this research, ignoring the real harms of not treating depression or anxiety for pregnant people themselves and for their fetuses.
    — Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
  • But the writers, like Noah and Joanne, are ignoring that fundamental fork in the road in favor of inane high jinks from the couple and their increasingly irksome friends and family.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 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 31 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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