: a lessening of effort, activity, or intensity
let up; letting up; lets up
2
: to become less severe
—used with on
Synonyms
Examples of letup in a Sentence
Noun
the downpour continued for hours without letup
Verb
the rain let up just as we reached the house
the windmill slowed down as the wind let up
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2024
The challenges for Netanyahu are abundant, forming a circle that is seemingly impossible to square: His ultranationalist, far-right coalition partners are threatening to bring down the government if there is any letup in the war.
—Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
Even though a civilian government took office in September after almost a decade of military rule, there has been no letup in the number of prosecutions against people who have criticized the monarchy.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2024
End of carousel In the hours before the pause was to begin, there was no sign in Gaza of a letup in violence.
—Susannah George, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
The trajectory of sales growth is slowing to be sure, yet the larger trend toward EV adoption shows no letup.
—Jon Markman, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The secretary of state had come to the region trying to build support for a humanitarian pause in fighting, roundly rejected by Israel, with no letup in the fight raging inside Gaza.
—CBS News, 5 Nov. 2023
The federal government has declared the first-ever shortage of water on the Colorado River, triggering cutbacks in several states that will hit farmers particularly hard during a drought that has punished the Southwest with little letup since the turn of the century.
—Jim Carlton, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2021
Confidence: Medium-High Tomorrow night: Showers should become less frequent as the evening progresses, but a significant letup is not likely until dawn.
—David Streit, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
However, rain won't let up until Thursday when temperatures will dip to the upper 40s.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 31 Mar. 2024
And while that helped — as did the rain letting up in the second half — big puddles remained.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
New York Fashion Week 2024 isn't letting up on its fierce flow of fashion as the weeklong event nears its homestretch.
—USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
The rain – and in some areas, the heavy snow – isn’t letting up just yet.
—Christina Maxouris, CNN, 6 Feb. 2024
If so, this could be because somebody (possibly you) won’t let up about something.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Forecast in detail Sun time is going to be minimal through the weekend as a swath of moisture riding northeast from the Gulf of Mexico won’t let up.
—David Streit, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024
Hundreds of new bookstores began to open after lock downs let up.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
Dismayed at the plight of Palestinian civilians and with no letup in the Israeli campaign, the White House National Security Council asked the Pentagon in recent weeks for possible options to get more aid into Gaza by air, land and sea, two administration officials told NBC News.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2024
The challenges for Netanyahu are abundant, forming a circle that is seemingly impossible to square: His ultranationalist, far-right coalition partners are threatening to bring down the government if there is any letup in the war.
—Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024
Even though a civilian government took office in September after almost a decade of military rule, there has been no letup in the number of prosecutions against people who have criticized the monarchy.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2024
End of carousel In the hours before the pause was to begin, there was no sign in Gaza of a letup in violence.
—Susannah George, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023
The trajectory of sales growth is slowing to be sure, yet the larger trend toward EV adoption shows no letup.
—Jon Markman, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The secretary of state had come to the region trying to build support for a humanitarian pause in fighting, roundly rejected by Israel, with no letup in the fight raging inside Gaza.
—CBS News, 5 Nov. 2023
The federal government has declared the first-ever shortage of water on the Colorado River, triggering cutbacks in several states that will hit farmers particularly hard during a drought that has punished the Southwest with little letup since the turn of the century.
—Jim Carlton, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2021
Confidence: Medium-High Tomorrow night: Showers should become less frequent as the evening progresses, but a significant letup is not likely until dawn.
—David Streit, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023
Verb
Almost all Israelis want to hit Hamas hard, but the country is split between those who are willing to embrace a cease-fire so the hostages can be returned and those, including Netanyahu, who would rather risk the hostages’ lives than let up on Hamas.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 5 Apr. 2024
However, rain won't let up until Thursday when temperatures will dip to the upper 40s.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 31 Mar. 2024
And while that helped — as did the rain letting up in the second half — big puddles remained.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024
New York Fashion Week 2024 isn't letting up on its fierce flow of fashion as the weeklong event nears its homestretch.
—USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
The rain – and in some areas, the heavy snow – isn’t letting up just yet.
—Christina Maxouris, CNN, 6 Feb. 2024
If so, this could be because somebody (possibly you) won’t let up about something.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 30 Jan. 2024
Forecast in detail Sun time is going to be minimal through the weekend as a swath of moisture riding northeast from the Gulf of Mexico won’t let up.
—David Streit, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024
Hundreds of new bookstores began to open after lock downs let up.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'letup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near letup
Cite this Entry
“Letup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/letup. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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