let (someone) off the hook

idiom

: to allow (someone who has been caught doing something wrong or illegal) to go without being punished
If you ask me, they let him off the hook too easily.

Examples of let (someone) off the hook in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The real issue is whether the whole group of people that the DA decided to let off the hook — a group that includes repeat offenders — would likely re-offend. Charles "cully" Stimson/the Heritage Foundation, Boston Herald, 3 Feb. 2025 And now, its participants have been let off the hook. Abdallah Fayyad, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Tangent New York Attorney General Letitia James said in December Trump won’t be let off the hook for the $454 million, plus interest, ordered in the February judgment in his civil fraud trial. Stephen Pastis, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024 Antonio Sanchez scuffs his shot, before blazing over a similar opportunity two minutes later, as Ancelotti’s side were let off the hook. Thom Harris, The Athletic, 19 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for let (someone) off the hook 

Dictionary Entries Near let (someone) off the hook

Cite this Entry

“Let (someone) off the hook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/let%20%28someone%29%20off%20the%20hook. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.

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