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
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.
And finally, in January 1972, several dozen people were injured in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh when hundreds of troops across the city let off a fusillade of bullets at a total eclipse of the moon. Joe Rao, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2025 Each new camera location will have an initial 30-day grace period, during which speeding drivers will be let off with a warning notice in the mail. Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025 His goal in the 90th minute against Costa Rica highlighted how Pochettino’s team will not let off the gas even with the outcome in hand. Kyle Foley, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2025 Expect widespread rain in the morning and early afternoon, letting off in the late afternoon and evening, according to NWS. Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 4 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for let off

Cite this Entry

“Let off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/let%20off. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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