let 1 of 2

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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

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as in to enable
to make able or possible the low gravity on the moon lets you make enormous leaps and jumps

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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let

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noun

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

Examples of let in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Many companies have advertised a feature in their newer phones that lets users utilize AI as a recipe generator assistant. Charlotte Engrav, NPR, 23 Sep. 2024 The artist, however, does not let her front row status stop her from offering her unbridled critique of the fashion industry. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2024 As Barry said, Johnny loves working with fellow creatives and letting everyone do their thing. Jamie Lang, Variety, 23 Sep. 2024 But please, John Weber, don’t let Rams-Wyoming rivalry fade like CU-Nebraska Pac-12 expansion: Estimating the media value of a rebuilt conference with WSU, OSU and the four Mountain West schools Colorado Soph. Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for let 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'let.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near let

Cite this Entry

“Let.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/let. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.

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