let 1 of 2

verb

ˈlet How to pronounce let (audio)
Definition of letnext
1
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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2
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

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
4
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonym Chooser

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

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
The state should leave well enough alone and let the Connecticut homeschool community educate their children in many wonderful ways. —Nicholas Tampio, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026 Many cracked and leaked from decades of decay, letting rain in and worsening backups that surge through maintenance hole covers, drain into city rivers and flow into basements. —ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026 Don’t let kids run away from the bear. —Brooke Baitinger, Sacbee.com, 10 Mar. 2026 So dust off your green gear and let the shenanigans begin! —Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for let
Recent Examples of Synonyms for let
  1. allow
  2. rent
  3. enable
  4. tolerate
  5. obstacle
  6. permit
  7. lease
  8. ignore
Verb
  • Questions and comments will be moderated, read, and answered as time allows.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The micropipette allowed the researchers to measure electrical activity in the neuron, Gray explained.
    — Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of allow
Verb
  • Cuevas, who accompanied the Galvez family on that 2014 Florida trip and helped rent the van to give those half-dozen children an unforgettable day at the beach, was trying to figure out a way to celebrate his friend’s upcoming birthday when word came Tony had died.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Early 20th-century deed covenants explicitly barred Black, Chinese, or Japanese residents from buying or renting homes in the neighborhood.
    — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Definition of rent
Verb
  • The platforms enable users to bet on serious geopolitical events, including assassinations and wars, which many view as ethically questionable.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2026
  • First launched in November, the tool allows users to send requests through popular messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp, enabling the AI agent to perform multiple tasks autonomously.
    — Evelyn Cheng,Dylan Butts, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of enable
Verb
  • For too long, Wyoming has been an outlier in tolerating extreme cruelty toward its wild carnivores.
    — Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Creatine works best through daily saturation, and protein may be better tolerated in a shake that contains carbs, fiber, and fat.
    — Audrey Noble, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
Definition of tolerate
Noun
  • At full height, the ship has an air draft of about 328 feet, but the tilting system enables the masts to lower when necessary, allowing the vessel to pass beneath bridges or other obstacles along its route, The Maritime Executive writes.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 15 Mar. 2026
  • The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
Definition of obstacle
Verb
  • Anthropic was happy to permit a role for Claude to surveil individuals under the jurisdiction of a FISA court, a secretive tribunal that oversees requests for surveillance warrants involving foreign powers or their agents on domestic soil.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Since that took effect this year, the California Geologic Energy Management Division has permitted 139 new wells in Kern County, more than the 121 wells permitted from 2023 to 2025 across the state.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Definition of permit
Verb
  • With growing interest globally in deep-sea mining, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is developing rules for how countries lease and commercially mine international waters.
    — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026
  • The city responded in July saying yes, which led to Fifth Gear deciding to lease the parcel, according to a timeline presented by a consultant working for the company, Wes Hoblit, at the March 11 zoning commission meeting.
    — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of lease
Verb
  • Atlanta's plan to protect human rights during the 2026 FIFA World Cup is facing criticism from a coalition of community organizations that say the city ignored their input while developing the framework.
    — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Netflix has largely ignored the format that dominates the phone of anyone under 35.
    — Max Cutler, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
Definition of ignore

Phrases Containing let

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lessors
let
let alone
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Cite this Entry

“Let.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/let. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on let

Nglish: Translation of let for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about let

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