LET ONE'S HAIR DOWN 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

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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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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

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

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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

So, rise before the first blush of dawn, seek out a clear east-northeast horizon, and let the morning sky reward your early vigil. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 10 July 2026 State terms kindly, write down what matters, and let security grow through follow-through. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2026 Beckham mostly lets actor Josh Lucas do the talking, which makes sense given the fact that Lucas has been holding down the brand’s voiceover duties since 2013. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 July 2026 Once the story gathers everyone into the house and lets the mayhem start in earnest, an overall feeling of Gothic grimness and rotting-corpse griminess takes hold. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for let

Recent Examples of Synonyms for let

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

One, rented to Kimberly Walker, became the Granada Bistro in 2009 because of the sign that still hung over head.

— Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
That means a one-bedroom apartment could rent for about $3,000 a month under the current Miami-Dade cap, though Pine Development’s proposal said rents would be far cheaper, at about $1,400 a month.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 10 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

Permitting — more than access to capital — is the main obstacle to building out the global energy system, the heads of the natural resources group at JP Morgan’s investment bank write today.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 9 July 2026
Finding locations with sufficient grid capacity has become a primary obstacle for technology companies building new facility hubs.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 9 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

Instead of going home that night, Wilber found himself back in bed 23 of the detention center — his bond denied — trying to ignore a nasty odor permeating his 14-person cell.

— Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Kennedy plans to ignore such noise in the lead-up to the draft.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026

Definition of ignore

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lessors

let

let alone

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“Let.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/let. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of let

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Synonyms of let

verb

noun

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Phrases Containing let

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More from Merriam-Webster on let

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

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Popular in Grammar & Usage

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Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

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

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

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

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It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

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

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It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes