▸ let off
1 PHRASAL VERB If someone in authority lets you off a task or duty, they give you permission not to do it. [mainly BRIT ] □ [V n P n/v-ing] In those days they didn't let you off work to go home very often.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you let someone off , you give them a lighter punishment than they expect or no punishment at all. □ [V n P ] Because he was a Christian, the judge let him off. □ [V n P prep/adv] When police realised who he was, they asked for an autograph and let him off with a warning.
3 PHRASAL VERB If you let off an explosive or a gun, you explode or fire it. □ [V P n] A resident of his neighbourhood had let off fireworks to celebrate the Revolution. [Also V n P ]
▸ let on PHRASAL VERB If you do not let on that something is true, you do not tell anyone that it is true, and you keep it a secret. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P that/wh] She never let on that anything was wrong. □ [V P + to ] I didn't let on to the staff what my conversation was. □ [V P ] He knows the culprit but is not letting on.
▸ let out
1 PHRASAL VERB If something or someone lets water, air, or breath out , they allow it to flow out or escape. □ [V n P ] It lets sunlight in but doesn't let heat out. □ [V P n] Meer let out his breath in a long sigh.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you let out a particular sound, you make that sound. [WRITTEN ] □ [V P n] When she saw him, she let out a cry of horror. [Also V n P ]
3 → see also let 14
▸ let up
1 PHRASAL VERB If an unpleasant, continuous process lets up , it stops or becomes less intense. □ [V P ] The rain had let up.
2 → see also let-up SYNONYMS let VERB 2
allow: Smoking will not be allowed.
grant: Permission was granted a few weeks ago.
permit: He can let the court's decision stand and permit the execution.
authorize: We are willing to authorize the president to use force if necessary.
le t-down (let-downs ) also letdown N‑VAR A let-down is a disappointment that you suffer, usually because something has not happened in the way in which you expected it to happen. □ The flat was nice, but compared with what we'd been used to, it was a terrible let-down. □ At the end of the book, there's a sense of let-down for the reader.
le|thal /liː θ ə l/
1 ADJ A substance that is lethal can kill people or animals. □ …a lethal dose of sleeping pills.
2 ADJ If you describe something as lethal , you mean that it is capable of causing a lot of damage. □ Frost and wet are the lethal combination for plants.
le|thar|gic /l I θɑː r dʒ I k/ ADJ If you are lethargic , you do not have much energy or enthusiasm. □ He felt too miserable and lethargic to get dressed.
leth|ar|gy /le θə r dʒi/ N‑UNCOUNT Lethargy is the condition or state of being lethargic. □ Symptoms include tiredness, paleness, and lethargy.
let's ◆◆◇ /le ts/ Let's is the usual spoken form of 'let us'.
let|ter ◆◆◆ /le tə r / (letters , lettering , lettered )
1 N‑COUNT [oft by N ] If you write a letter to someone, you write a message on paper and send it to them, usually by post. □ [+ from ] I had received a letter from a very close friend. □ [+ of ] …a letter of resignation. □ Our long courtship had been conducted mostly by letter.
2 N‑COUNT Letters are written symbols which represent one of the sounds in a language. □ [+ of ] …the letters of the alphabet. □ …the letter E.
3 N‑COUNT If a student earns a letter in sports or athletics by being part of the university or college team, they are entitled to wear on their jacket the initial letter of the name of their university or college. [AM ] □ [+ in ] Valerie earned letters in three sports: volleyball, basketball, and field hockey.
4 VERB If a student letters in sports or athletics by being part of the university or college team, they are entitled to wear on their jacket the initial letter of the name of their university or college. [AM ] □ [V prep] Burkoth lettered in soccer.
5 → see also capital letter , covering letter , dead letter , love letter , newsletter , poison-pen letter
6 PHRASE If you say that someone carries out instructions to the letter , you mean that they do exactly what they are told to do, paying great attention to every detail. □ She obeyed his instructions to the letter. COLLOCATIONS letter NOUN 1
noun + letter : reference, rejection, resignation, warning; love, thank-you
adjective + letter : anonymous, handwritten, open
le t|ter bomb (letter bombs ) N‑COUNT A letter bomb is a small bomb which is disguised as a letter or parcel and sent to someone through the post. It is designed to explode when it is opened.
let|ter|box /le tə r bɒks/ (letterboxes ) also letter box
1 N‑COUNT A letterbox is a rectangular hole in a door or a small box at the entrance to a building into which letters and small parcels are delivered. Compare postbox . [mainly BRIT ] in AM, usually use mailbox 2 ADJ If something is displayed on a television or computer screen in letterbox format, it is displayed across the middle of the screen with dark bands at the top and bottom of the screen.
let|tered /le tə r d/ ADJ Something that is lettered is covered or decorated with letters or words. □ …a crudely lettered cardboard sign.