let 1 of 2

1
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

let

2 of 2

noun

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 success of KPop Demon Hunters at the box office fool you, Netflix is still Netflix. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025 Eventually, however, when inflation returned and interest rates around the world increased, Japan had to let its rates rise too. Allison Schrager, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025 Now, let’s get started with the bridges. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025 Prosecutors believe King allegedly kidnapped a woman in front of her house, putting her in his car and assaulting her before letting her out. Melina Khan, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for let
Recent Examples of Synonyms for let
Verb
  • In the end, Krantz added, adopting a more strategic approach ultimately benefits customers, allowing companies to use their time and money more effectively by learning from the successes of others.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed a soft robotic skin that allows vine-like robots just a few millimeters wide to navigate tight and fragile environments.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Private event spaces and a rooftop terrace can also be rented out for celebrations and events, according to Topgolf.
    Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Some are dilapidated and need tens of thousands of dollars in renovations before they can be rented out again.
    Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Beyond medical uses The team also equipped the robot with a tiny camera, enabling it to inspect hard-to-reach spots inside the jet engine model.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Many of them had easy access to government offices that enabled them to obtain genuine Syrian passports with fake names, according to former employees and regime figures.
    Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Abbott was the first to announce the deployment of the Texas National Guard to Austin through a foreboding statement on X, warning that any disorder wouldn’t be tolerated.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Though enzymatic processes tolerate more contamination than many chemical ones, industrial plants will likely still require pretreatment (washing, grinding, delabeling) to avoid enzyme fouling.
    Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But formidable obstacles remain in the way of a durable peace in Gaza, where a ceasefire collapsed in March after nearly two months of relative calm when Israel unleashed a barrage of airstrikes.
    Alexander Cornwell, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
  • But even with these obstacles, oddsmakers seem to believe the Bucs have plot armor.
    J.J. Bailey, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • If time permits, lock your home upon departure and disconnect utilities and appliances.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The original iteration of Mojaveland ran from 2021 to 2023, but had to close due to accessibility and permitting issues.
    Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Emirates confirmed to Reuters that its plane was leased from and operated by ACT Airlines, a Turkish carrier that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Only 17% of the non-EV vehicles sold were leased in September.
    Susan Tompor, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Premier League football in the 2000s could be dramatic and explosive, but what the nostalgia for that era ignores is the number of dour, sterile games there were, many of them settled by a goal from a set piece.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • At some point, the truth becomes impossible to ignore.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Let.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/let. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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