let off
phrasal verb
let off; letting off; lets off
1
: to allow (someone) to get off a bus, an airplane, etc.
Could you let me off (the bus) at the next stop, please?
The bus stopped to let off a few passengers.
2
: to allow (someone who has been caught doing something wrong or illegal) to go without being punished
The police officer let her off with just a warning.
They let him off easy/easily/lightly, if you ask me.
3
: to cause (something) to explode or to be released in a forceful way
let off a firecracker
opened the valve to let off pressure
Examples of let off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a statement, Wanjiku Manyara, head of the Petroleum Institute of East Africa, the professional body overseeing the industry, said that the owners of the facility had already been tried and convicted of running an unsafe facility but were just let off with low fines in May 2023.
—
Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024
In turbulent times, parties can be a necessary vehicle for letting off steam, distraction, and finding joy, something that's particularly true in Ukraine right now.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Dec. 2023
Schafer and Zegler also gave insight on what went on behind the scenes, such as how the cast let off steam during an intense movie shoot.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
There's plenty of evidence that speeding became much more common during the pandemic and that those speed demons have not let off the gas even as traffic density rebounded in 2021.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 21 June 2023
And he’s embroiled in an increasingly intense proxy war with the Iranian regime that Trump had been starving financially but Biden let off the hook upon taking office.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 4 Feb. 2024
And in Ukraine, where our two guests are based, rave culture has become a necessary vehicle for letting off steam, distraction, and finding joy.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Dec. 2023
Police say James let off a single shot from a window at officers and bystanders on the street below, prompting Ng and Dominguez to open fire, killing him.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2023
Instead of leaving the department, a gasping James was seen opening a window before pulling out a handgun and letting off a shot indiscriminately toward the street below.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2023
Rael Ombuor, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2024
In turbulent times, parties can be a necessary vehicle for letting off steam, distraction, and finding joy, something that's particularly true in Ukraine right now.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Dec. 2023
Schafer and Zegler also gave insight on what went on behind the scenes, such as how the cast let off steam during an intense movie shoot.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
There's plenty of evidence that speeding became much more common during the pandemic and that those speed demons have not let off the gas even as traffic density rebounded in 2021.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 21 June 2023
And he’s embroiled in an increasingly intense proxy war with the Iranian regime that Trump had been starving financially but Biden let off the hook upon taking office.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 4 Feb. 2024
And in Ukraine, where our two guests are based, rave culture has become a necessary vehicle for letting off steam, distraction, and finding joy.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Dec. 2023
Police say James let off a single shot from a window at officers and bystanders on the street below, prompting Ng and Dominguez to open fire, killing him.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2023
Instead of leaving the department, a gasping James was seen opening a window before pulling out a handgun and letting off a shot indiscriminately toward the street below.
—Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'let off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Let off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/let%20off. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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