let

Verb

let (third-person singular simple present lets, present participle letting, simple past let or (obsolete) leet, past participle let or (obsolete) letten)

1. (transitive) To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).

   After he knocked for hours, I decided to let him come in.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 8:28:

     Pharaoh said, I will let you go.

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]:

     If your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is […]

   • 1971, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan:

     He could not be let die of thirst there alone in the dark.

   • 2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27:

     The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing", […] and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention.

2. (transitive) To allow to be or do without interference; to not disturb or meddle with; to leave alone.

   Let me be!

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 16:

     Yet neither spinnes nor cardes, ne cares nor frets, / But to her mother Nature all her care she lets.

3. (transitive) To allow the release of (a fluid).

   The physicians let about a pint of his blood, but to no avail.

4. (transitive) To allow possession of (a property etc.) in exchange for rent.

   I decided to let the farmhouse to a couple while I was working abroad.

   • 1965, Roger Miller (lyrics and music), “King Of The Road”:

     Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let, fifty cents.

5. (transitive) To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; often with out.

   to let the building of a bridge;  to let out the lathing and the plastering

6. (auxiliary, transitive) Used to introduce a first or third person imperative verb construction.

   Let's put on a show!

   Let us have a moment of silence.

   Let me just give you the phone number.

   Let P be the point where AB and OX intersect.

7. (transitive, obsolete except with know) To cause (+ bare infinitive).

   Can you let me know what time you'll be arriving?

   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter IV, in Le Morte Darthur, book IV:

     Soo within a whyle kynge Pellinore cam with a grete hoost / and salewed the peple and the kyng / and ther was grete ioye made on euery syde / Thenne the kyng lete serche how moche people of his party ther was slayne / And ther were founde but lytel past two honderd men slayne and viij knyȝtes of the table round in their pauelions

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1818, John Keats, To—:

     Time's sea hath been five years at its slow ebb, / Long hours have to and fro let creep the sand […].

Noun

let (plural lets)

1. The allowing of possession of a property etc. in exchange for rent.
   • 1854, Charles Dickens, Christmas Stories‎, page 317:

     Then he says “You would call it a Good Let, Madam?”
     “O certainly a Good Let sir.”

Verb

let (third-person singular simple present lets, present participle letting, simple past letted, past participle let)

1. (archaic) To hinder, prevent, impede, hamper, cumber; to obstruct (someone or something).
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Thessalonians 2:7:

     He who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

   • 1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Elaine”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 152:

     Sir King, mine ancient wound is hardly whole, / And lets me from the saddle; […]

2. (obsolete) To prevent someone from doing something; also to prevent something from happening.
   • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XXI, Chapter ii, leaf 421r:

     & there was syr Mordred redy awaytynge vpon his londage to lette his owne fader to lāde vp the lande that he was kyng ouer.
     "And there was Sir Mordred ready awaiting upon his landing, to let his own father to land upon the land that he was king over."

   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts viij:

     And as they went on their waye, they cam unto a certayne water, and the gelded man sayde: Se here is water, what shall lett me to be baptised?

3. (obsolete) To tarry or delay.
   • 1826, Early Metrical Tales; Including the History of Sir Egeir, Sir Gryme, and Sir Gray-Steill, Edinburgh, The History of Sir Eger, Sir Grahame, And Sir Gray-Steel, page 7:

     And for that strake I would not let, / Another upon him soon I set, […]

Noun

let (plural lets)

1. An obstacle or hindrance.
   • 1552 June 22 (Gregorian calendar), Hugh Latimer, Augustine Bernher, compiler, “Sermon XXV. Preached on the Twenty First Sunday after Trinity.”, in The Sermons of the Right Reverend Father in God, Master Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester. […], volume II, London: […] J. Scott, […], published 1758, →OCLC, page 541:

     [E]ver conſider vvhether our doings be to the let of our ſalvation or not.

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • 1567, Ovid, “The Third Booke”, in Arthur Golding, transl., The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, […], London: […] Willyam Seres […], →OCLC, lines 60–61:

     And Cadmus saw his campanie make tarience in that sort / He marveld what should be their let, and went to seeke them out.

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 16, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

     Paulus Emilius going to the glorious expedition of Macedon, advertised the people of Rome during his absence not to speake of his actions: For the licence of judgements is an especiall let in great affaires.

2. (tennis) The hindrance caused by the net during serve, only if the ball falls legally.

Noun

let m inan

1. flight (the act of flying)

Noun

let n

1. genitive plural of léto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛd̥]

Adjective

let (plural and definite singular attributive lette)

1. light (not heavy)
2. easy
3. slight
4. mild

Adverb

let

1. lightly
2. easily
3. slightly
4. mildly

References

• “let,2” in Den Danske Ordbog

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛd̥]

Noun

let c (singular definite letten, plural indefinite let)

1. low-fat milk

References

• “let,1” in Den Danske Ordbog

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlɛd̥]

Verb

let

1. imperative of lette

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈleˀd̥]

Verb

let

1. past participle of le

Related terms

Conjugation

Noun

let m (definite singular leten, indefinite plural leter, definite plural letene)

1. color / colour

Verb

let

1. imperative of lete

Alternative forms

• (non-standard since 2012) lett

Noun

let m (definite singular leten, indefinite plural leter or letar, definite plural letene or letane)

1. color / colour

   Synonym: farge

Verb

let

1. present tense of la
2. present of lata
3. past tense of la
4. past of lata

Verb

let

1. imperative of leta

Declension

Related terms

• lèteti

Inflection

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.