let

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++ldoce_729_zlet1 /let/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle let, present participle letting)  1  allow 允许 [transitive not in passive] to allow someone to do something 让，允许 → allow, permit I can’t come out tonight – my dad won’t let me. 今天晚上我不能出来，我爸爸不允许。let somebody do something Let Johnny have a go on the computer now. 现在让约翰尼来玩玩电脑吧。 Some people seem to let their kids do whatever they like. 一些人似乎允许自己的孩子随心所欲。 Let me have a look at that letter. 我来看看那封信吧。let somebody have something (=give something to someone) 给某人某物 I can let you have another £10, but no more. 我可以再给你10英镑，再多就没有了。5 ► Don’t say ‘be let to do something’, because let has no passive form. Use the active form, or use be allowed . 不要说 ‘be let to do something’，因为 let 没有被动语态。 要用主动语态，或者用 be allowed: They let me leave 他们让我走。 | I was allowed to leave. 我获准离开。► see thesaurus at allow RegisterIn written English, people often prefer to use allow somebody to do something rather than let somebody do something, as it is slightly more formal: 在书面英语中，人们往往使用allow sb to do sth，而非let sb do sth，因为前者稍显正式We must allow young people to develop independence. 我们必须允许年轻人学会独当一面。2  not stop STH happening 不阻止某事发生 [transitive]LET/ALLOW to not stop something happening, or to make it possible for it to happen 任由…发生，让let somebody/something do something Jenny let the note fall to the ground. 珍妮任由字条掉落到地上。 Don’t let anyone know it was me who told you. 不要让别人知道是我告诉你的。 Max let the door swing open. 马克斯任由门打开。 Let the cookies cool down before you try them. 等曲奇冷一冷再尝。let yourself be beaten/persuaded/fooled etc I stupidly let myself be persuaded to take part in a live debate. 我傻乎乎地被人劝去参加一个现场辩论会。3  let go HOLD a) to stop holding something or someone 放手，松开 Let go! You’re hurting me. 放开！你把我弄疼了。let go of The guard let go of the lead, and the dog lunged forward. 卫兵松开绳子，那只狗就猛冲上去。 b) to accept that you cannot change something and stop thinking or worrying about it 放手〔不再思考或担心〕 Sometimes you just have to learn to let go. 有时候你就得学会放手。 →4  See picture of 见图 EXPLOSION4  let somebody go a) to allow someone to leave a place where they have been kept 释放某人，放走某人 SYN release The police had to let him go through lack of evidence. 由于缺乏证据，警方只得放他走。 The hijackers were persuaded to let some hostages go. 劫持者被说服释放部分人质。 b) to make someone leave their job – used in order to avoid saying this directly 叫某人走人〔解雇某人的委婉说法〕 I’m afraid we had to let several of our staff go. 恐怕我们不得不让几名员工走人了。 SPOKEN PHRASES5  suggest/offer 建议/提议 [transitive] used to make a suggestion or to offer help 让〔用于表示提议或帮忙〕let’s do something Let’s make a start, shall we? 我们开始好吗？ Let’s all get together over Christmas. 我们一起过圣诞节吧。 Let’s not jump to conclusions – he might have been delayed. 我们不要急于下结论——他也许是被耽搁了。let somebody do something Let me help you with those bags. 我帮你拿那些袋子吧。 Let me give you a piece of advice. 我来给你一个建议吧。let’s hope (that) Let’s hope he got your message in time. 但愿他及时收到了你的留言。don’t let’s do something British English informal Don’t let’s argue like this. 我们不要这样争吵了。6  let’s see  (also let me see) used when you are thinking about or trying to remember something 让我想一想〔用于正在想或努力记起某事时〕 Today’s date is – let me see, March 20th. 今天是——让我想想——3月20号。 Now, let’s see, where did I put your application form? 啊，我来想想，我把你的申请表放哪儿了呢？7  let me think used to say that you need time to think about or remember something 让我想一想〔用于表示需要时间思考或想起〕 What was his name, now? Let me think. 他叫什么名字？让我想想。8  let him/her/them etc used to say that you do not care if someone does something they are threatening to do 随他/她/他们等去 ‘She says she’s going to sell her story to the newspapers!’ ‘Well, let her!’ “她说要把她的故事卖给报纸！” “行啊，随她的便！”9  let’s face it/let’s be honest used to say that someone must accept an unpleasant fact or situation 我们面对现实吧/我们实话实说吧〔表示必须接受令人不快的事实或状况〕 Let’s face it, no one’s going to lend us any money. 我们面对现实吧，没有人会借钱给我们。10  let’s just say (that) TELLused to say that you are not going to give someone all the details about something 知道…就够了〔用于不打算告诉某人所有细节时〕 ‘So who did it?’ ‘Let’s just say it wasn’t anyone in this family.’ “那么这是谁干的呢？” “反正不是这家人。”11  let yourself go a) to relax completely and enjoy yourself 放松自己，放纵自己 For goodness sake, Peter, why don’t you just let yourself go for once? 看在老天爷的份上，彼得，你为什么就不能让自己放松一回呢？ b) to stop looking after yourself properly, for example by not caring about your appearance 不修边幅，不注意外表 Poor Dad. He’s really let himself go since Mum died. 可怜的爸爸，自从妈妈过世以后他就不修边幅了。12  let something go a) to not punish or criticize someone for something they have done wrong 不计较某事 OK, I’ll let it go this time. 好了，这一回就算了。 b) to stop worrying or thinking too much about something 放开某事 It’s time to let the past go. 该忘掉过去了。 c) informal to sell something for a particular amount 〔以某价钱〕卖掉某物let something go for £20/$200 etc I couldn’t let it go for less than £300. 少于300英镑我是不会卖的。13  wish 愿望 [transitive not in passive]LET/ALLOW used to say that you wish or hope that something happens, or does not happen 让〔用来表达愿望〕(not) let somebody/something do something Don’t let him be the one who died, she prayed. 但愿死的不是他，她祈祷道。14  let alone IMPOSSIBLEused after a negative statement to say that the next thing you mention is even more unlikely 更不用说，更谈不上〔用于否定句之后〕 The baby can’t even sit up yet, let alone walk! 这个宝宝连坐都不会，更不用说走了！15  let something drop/rest/lie to stop talking about or trying to deal with something 停止谈论某事；不去管某事 It seems the press are not going to let the matter rest. 看来媒体是不会对此事罢休的。16  let slip to accidentally tell someone something that should have been kept secret 泄露〔秘密〕let slip that Liz let slip that she’d seen him quite recently. 利兹说漏了嘴，说她不久前见过他。17  rent 出租 [transitive] especially British EnglishLEND to charge someone an amount of money for the use of a room or building 出租 SYN lease, → hire, rent Interhome has over 20,000 houses to let across Europe. 网上居公司在欧洲各地有两万多幢房屋出租。let something to somebody I’ve let my spare room to a student. 我把空余的一间房租给了一个学生。let somebody something Would you consider letting me the garage for a few months? 你能考虑一下把车库租给我用几个月吗？let something out to somebody We let the smaller studios out to local artists. 我们把较小的工作室租给了当地的艺术家。To Let written (=written on a sign outside a building to show that it is available for renting) 〔空屋〕招租18  MATHEMATICS 数学let something be/equal/represent something technical used in mathematics to mean that you give something a particular measurement or value in order to make a calculation 假设某物为/等于/代表某物 Let angle A equal the sum of the two opposite sides. 设角A为两对角之和。19  let yourself in for something informalPROBLEM to do something that will cause you a lot of trouble 给自己招来〔麻烦〕 I don’t think Carol realizes what she’s letting herself in for. 我想卡萝尔还没有意识到她在给自己招来的麻烦。20  never let a day/week/year etc go by without doing something REGULARused to say that someone does a particular thing very regularly 没有一天/一个星期/一年等不做某事 They never seem to let a year go by without introducing a new version of their software. 他们好像每年都会推出他们这种软件的新版本。21. let the good times roll informal used to say that it is time for people to start having fun 让好时光飞转起来吧，大家开始玩起来吧22. let somebody have it informal to attack someone 袭击某人 → let fly (something) at fly1(17), → let it all hang out at hang out, → live and let live at live1(21), → let it/her rip at rip1(6), → let rip at rip1(5)5 FREQUENCY 使用频率

 PHRASAL VERBS23 let somebody/something ↔ down phrasal verb a) DISAPPOINTEDto not do something that someone trusts or expects you to do 使失望，辜负〔别人的信任或期望〕 She had been let down badly in the past. 过去她曾深深失望过。 The worst feeling is having let our fans down. 最难受的就是辜负了球迷。let the side down British English (=disappoint a group of people that you belong to) 使自己人失望b) to make someone or something less successful or effective 使失望〔指让某人或某事不是很成功或很有效〕 McKenzie’s judgement rarely lets him down. 麦肯齐的判断很少让他失望。c) DOWNto move something or someone to a lower position 把〔某物〕放下来 Let down a rope so that I can climb up. 放一根绳子下来，我好爬上去。 Carefully, she let herself down into the water. 她小心翼翼地下到水里去。d) let your hair down informalRELAXED to relax and enjoy yourself, especially after working hard 〔尤指辛劳后〕放松下来，轻松玩乐 Visitors young and old let their hair down and enjoyed the show. 老老少少的游客都放松下来尽情欣赏演出。e) let your guard/defences down to relax and stop worrying about what might happen or what someone might find out about you 解除防备，解除戒备心理 Maggie never really lets her guard down, does she? 玛吉从来都放不下她的戒备心理，对吗？f) let somebody down lightly/gentlyTELL to give someone bad news in a way that will not upset them too much 委婉地把坏消息告知某人 I get asked out on dates quite often, but I always try to let the guy down gently. 常常有人约我出去，但我都婉拒了。g) British EnglishAIR to allow the air to escape from something so that it loses its shape and becomes flat 把…放气 Someone’s let my tyres down! 有人把我的轮胎放气了！h) DCto make a piece of clothing longer by unfolding a folded edge 放长，加长〔衣服〕 OPP take upn GRAMMAR: Comparisonlet• You let someone do something: Her boss lets her work from home. ✗Don’t say: let someone to do somethingLet is not used in the passive.allow• You allow someone to do something: Her boss allows her to work from home.• Something is allowed: Working from home is allowed.Allow is often used in the passive.permit• Something is permitted: Working from home is permitted.• Someone is permitted to do something: Employees are permitted to work from home.Permit is usually used in the passive.24 let somebody in on something phrasal verb TELL A SECRETto tell something that is secret or only known by a few people 告知，透露〔秘密〕 TV chef Raymond Blanc lets us in on the secrets of his kitchen. 电视大厨雷蒙德·布朗向我们透露了他厨房的秘密。 Would someone mind letting me in on the joke? 谁来告诉我你们笑什么？25 let somebody/something into something phrasal verb a) TELL A SECRETto tell someone something that is secret or private 让〔某人〕知道，告知〔秘密或私事〕 It was time to let the rest of the family into the secret. 该让家里的其他人知道这个秘密了。b) technicalTBC to put something such as a window or a decoration into a wall 将…镶入，将…嵌入 Two large windows were let into the wall each side of the door. 门两边的墙上开了两扇大窗。n Grammar Let into is usually passive in this meaning.26 let somebody/something off phrasal verb a) PUNISHto not punish someone 饶恕，放过〔某人〕 I’ll let you off this time, but don’t do it again. 我且饶过你这一回，但下不为例。 with After checking our identities, the customs men let us off with a warning. 海关人员核查我们的身份之后，给了一个警告就放过了我们。let somebody off the hook (=allow someone to escape punishment or criticism) 放过某人 He’d decided to make Sandra wait before letting her off the hook. 他打定主意要放过桑德拉，但也得让她等等。let somebody off lightly/easily (=give someone a less serious punishment than they deserve) 轻罚某人，轻易放过某人 I think young criminals are let off far too lightly. 我觉得对年轻罪犯量刑太轻了。b) let somebody off (something)LET/ALLOW if someone in authority lets you off something you should do, they give you permission not to do it 准许某人不做(某事) You’ve worked hard all week, so I’ll let you off today. 你整个星期都很辛苦，所以今天我放你假。c) let something ↔ offSHOOT to make something explode 使某物爆炸 One boy had let off a firework in class. 有个男孩在课堂上放了一个爆竹。 → let/blow off steam at steam1(4)27 let on phrasal verb informal TELL A SECRETto tell someone something, especially something you have been keeping secret 泄露，透露〔秘密〕let on (that) Don’t let on that I told you. 不要告诉别人是我对你说的。let on who/why/how etc We never did let on how we found out. 我们确实从来没有透露我们是怎么发现的。 I’m sure he knows more than he’s letting on. 我能肯定他知道的不止他说的这些。28 let out phrasal verb a) let out somethingSOUND to suddenly make a loud sound such as a shout or cry 突然发出〔大的声音〕let out a scream/cry/roar etc He let out a cry of disbelief. 他突然大叫了一声，表示自己无法相信。b) let something ↔ outLOOSE to make a piece of clothing wider or looser, especially because it is too tight 〔尤因太紧〕把〔衣服〕放宽，放大c)RENT 出租 let something ↔ out British EnglishLEND to charge someone an amount of money for the use of a room or building 出租〔房间或大楼〕 We’re letting out our son’s old room to a student. 我们把儿子原来住的房间租给了一个学生。d) American EnglishFINISH/COME TO AN END if a school, college, film etc lets out, it ends and the people attending it can leave 放学；散场 What time does the movie let out? 电影什么时候散场？ → let the cat out of the bag at cat(2)29 let up phrasal verb a) FINISH/COME TO AN ENDto become less severe or harmful 减弱，减轻，缓和 The wind had dropped and the rain gradually let up. 风势减弱，雨也渐渐小了。b) to be less severe, unkind, or violent towards someone 放过，饶恕 Even when the crowd had scattered, the police didn’t let up. 即使人群散开了，警察还是不肯放过他们。c) to stop working as hard as you were 松劲，放松 You’re doing really well, but you can’t afford to let up now. 你的成绩很不错，可你现在还是不能放松啊。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

let• Under no circumstances, however, should the Dole campaign let Buchanan speak during prime time at the Republican Convention.• I know he's grown up now, but it's hard for me to let go.• Sue doesn't let her kids eat candy.• They are the reason he asked Mobil to let him build a bigger store.• Let him come home safely, she prayed.• It'll drive you crazy if you let it.• My parents didn't want to let me go, but I begged them and promised to come back very quickly.• Because if you drive... hold on, let me just check some-thing.• Thanks for letting me spend the night at your place.• I want to go to Europe this summer, but my parents won't let me.• But let no one doubt that this earthquake will happen.• Away from her, he must feel like a boy let out of school.• The company owns about 170 cottages in Britain, which it lets out to tourists.• Nellie's house had a 'To Let' sign in the window.• You'd better let the dog out.• 200,00 sq ft of land was let to a local firm.• So let us look at what factors appear to affect the performance of individuals in their jobs.• We wanted to go camping, but our parents wouldn't let us.• If hungry he'd gnaw your ankle just to let you know to fill his bowl.let somebody do something• His wife won't let him watch football on TV.• Let me show you how to do it.let yourself be beaten/persuaded/fooled etc• All the nurses in Illinois submit passively, like the early Christians, and let themselves be beaten.• Perhaps unconsciously I willingly let myself be fooled, just in order to please him and keep our relationship going.• Even I had let myself be persuaded of this dream.• I let myself be persuaded to take part in a television programme about books.Let’s not• Let's not talk about work tonight.let something out to somebody• With small, isolated follies and temples, one solution is to let them out to artists.• With some one watching him all the time except when one of Them let the other out to fetch the papers.• I went, but my friend wouldn't speak to me, let alone come out to keep me company.• Early most mornings, they let Kibbles out to run.• The Count just let you out to torment me, but I've always known you were there.let2 noun  1  [countable] British English an arrangement in which a house or flat is rented to someone 出租，租借 An agency is managing the let. 一个中介正在安排租借事务。 a long-term let 长期出租2. without let or hindrance lawSCL happening freely without being prevented in any way 毫无障碍地

Examples from the Corpus

let• This would justify the fact that to is not used with this sense of let.-let /lɪt/ suffix [in nouns]  1 XXa small kind of something 小 a booklet 小册子 a piglet 小猪

Examples from the Corpus

-let• an ankletFrom Longman Business Dictionaryletlet /let/ verb (past tense and past participle let, present participle letting) [transitive] British EnglishPROPERTY (also let out) to allow someone to use a room or building in return for rentlet something to somebodyShe let the studio to artists.There are numerous offices to let (=available to be rented) in the town.Once the tourist season begins, we should be able to let out the rest of our properties. —let noun [countable]Stein employed a landlord to manage the Browning Street let. → compare lease1, rent1→ See Verb tableOrigin let Old English lætan -let Old French -elet, from -el “small” (from Latin -ellus) + -et

let1 verb →10-16
→n GRAMMAR1 →n GRAMMAR2 →REGISTER1 →5 FREQUENCY1
→SPOKEN PHRASES1 →PHRASAL VERBS1let2 noun-let suffixLDOCE OnlineChinese  

Corpus to someone Business something allow do to

let

I

let¹ S1 W1 /let/ verb (past tense and past participle let, present participle letting)1.  ALLOW  [transitive not in passive] to allow someone to do something ⇨ permit:
    I can’t come out tonight – my dad won’t let me.
    let somebody do something
    Let Johnny have a go on the computer now.
    Some people seem to let their kids do whatever they like.
    Let me have a look at that letter.
    let somebody have something (=give something to someone)
    I can let you have another £10, but no more.
  ► Do not say ‘be let to do something’, because let has no passive form. Use the active form, or use be allowed: They let me leave. | I was allowed to leave.
  REGISTER
    In written English, people often prefer to use allow somebody to do something rather than let somebody do something, as it is slightly more formal:
   ▪ We must allow young people to develop independence.
2.  NOT STOP SOMETHING HAPPENING  [transitive not usually in passive] to not stop something happening, or to make it possible for it to happen
    let somebody/something do something
    Jenny let the note fall to the ground.
    Don’t let anyone know it was me who told you.
    Max let the door swing open.
    Let the cookies cool down before you try them.
    let yourself be beaten/persuaded/fooled etc
    I stupidly let myself be persuaded to take part in a live debate.
3. let go
  a. to stop holding something or someone:
    Let go! You’re hurting me.
    let go of
    The guard let go of the lead, and the dog lunged forward.
  b. to accept that you cannot change something and stop thinking or worrying about it:
    Sometimes you just have to learn to let go.
4. let somebody go
  a. to allow someone to leave a place where they have been kept
   SYN  release:
    The police had to let him go through lack of evidence.
    The hijackers were persuaded to let some hostages go.
  b. to make someone leave their job – used in order to avoid saying this directly:
    I’m afraid we had to let several of our staff go.
     
SPOKEN PHRASES
5.  SUGGEST/OFFER  [transitive not in passive] used to make a suggestion or to offer help
    let’s do something
    Let’s make a start, shall we?
    Let’s all get together over Christmas.
    Let’s not jump to conclusions – he might have been delayed.
    let somebody do something
    Let me help you with those bags.
    Let me give you a piece of advice.
    let’s hope (that)
    Let’s hope he got your message in time.
    don’t let’s do something British English informal:
    Don’t let’s argue like this.
6. let’s see (also let me see) used when you are thinking about or trying to remember something:
    Today’s date is – let me see, March 20th.
    Now, let’s see, where did I put your application form?
7. let me think used to say that you need time to think about or remember something:
    What was his name, now? Let me think.
8. let him/her/them etc used to say that you do not care if someone does something they are threatening to do:
    ‘She says she’s going to sell her story to the newspapers!’ ‘Well, let her!’
9. let’s face it/let’s be honest used to say that someone must accept an unpleasant fact or situation:
    Let’s face it, no one’s going to lend us any money.
10. let’s just say (that) used to say that you are not going to give someone all the details about something:
    ‘So who did it?’ ‘Let’s just say it wasn’t anyone in this family.’
11. let yourself go
  a. to relax completely and enjoy yourself:
    For goodness sake, Peter, why don’t you just let yourself go for once?
  b. to stop looking after yourself properly, for example by not caring about your appearance:
    Poor Dad. He’s really let himself go since Mum died.
12. let something go
  a. to not punish or criticize someone for something they have done wrong:
    OK, I’ll let it go this time.
  b. to stop worrying or thinking too much about something:
    It’s time to let the past go.
  c. informal to sell something for a particular amount
    let something go for £20/$200 etc
    I couldn’t let it go for less than £300.
13.  WISH  [transitive not in passive] used to say that you wish or hope that something happens, or does not happen
    (not) let somebody/something do something
    Don’t let him be the one who died, she prayed.
14. let alone used after a negative statement to say that the next thing you mention is even more unlikely:
    The baby can’t even sit up yet, let alone walk!
15. let something drop/rest/lie to stop talking about or trying to deal with something:
    It seems the press are not going to let the matter rest.
16. let slip to accidentally tell someone something that should have been kept secret
    let slip that
    Liz let slip that she’d seen him quite recently.
17.  RENT  [transitive] especially British English to charge someone an amount of money for the use of a room or building
   SYN  lease ⇨ hire, rent:
    Interhome has over 20,000 houses to let across Europe.
    let something to somebody
    I’ve let my spare room to a student.
    let somebody something
    Would you consider letting me the garage for a few months?
    let something out to somebody
    We let the smaller studios out to local artists.
    To Let written (=written on a sign outside a building to show that it is available for renting)
18.  MATHEMATICS let something be/equal/represent something technical used in mathematics to mean that you give something a particular measurement or value in order to make a calculation:
    Let angle A equal the sum of the two opposite sides.
19. let yourself in for something informal to do something that will cause you a lot of trouble:
    I don’t think Carol realizes what she’s letting herself in for.
20. never let a day/week/year etc go by without doing something used to say that someone does a particular thing very regularly:
    They never seem to let a year go by without introducing a new version of their software.
21. let the good times roll informal used to say that it is time for people to start having fun
22. let somebody have it informal to attack someone
⇨ let fly (something) at fly¹(17), ⇨ let it all hang out at hang out(3), ⇨ live and let live at live¹(21), ⇨ let it/her rip at rip¹(5), ⇨ let rip at rip¹(4)
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ allow to say that someone can do something – used about parents, teachers, or people in authority: They don’t allow students to chew gum in the classroom. | I’m not allowed to stay out after ten o'clock.
   ▪ let [not in passive] to allow someone to do something. Let is not used in the passive, and is much more commonly used in everyday English than allow: Will your Mum let you come to the party? | I’ll borrow John’s bicycle, if he’ll let me.
   ▪ permit formal if something is permitted, it is allowed according to the rules - used especially on written notices and announcements: Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the building.
   ▪ give somebody permission used when someone in an important official position decides to allow someone to do something: He was given special permission to leave school early. | The Home Office has given him permission to stay in Britain indefinitely.
   ▪ give your consent to say that you will allow someone to do something that will affect you personally, or a member of your family, when you have a legal right to say ‘no’: Her parents have given their consent to the marriage. | You can’t build on someone’s land without the owner’s consent.
   ▪ give something the go-ahead to officially allow a planned project or activity to happen: The government finally gave the go-ahead for a new terminal at Heathrow airport. | A new nuclear plant has been given the go-ahead.
   ▪ authorize to officially or legally allow someone to do something - used about laws or people: The UN resolution would authorize the use of force. | I never authorized them to give information about me to other banks.
   ▪ entitle to give someone the right to do or have something: The pass entitles you to travel on any bus, at any time, in Norwich. | If the goods are faulty, the customer is entitled to a refund.
   ▪ sanction formal to give official approval and support for something: The Truman administration refused to sanction a military attack. | The advertisements were sanctioned by the candidate himself.
     
let somebody/something ↔ down phrasal verb
  1. to not do something that someone trusts or expects you to do:
    She had been let down badly in the past.
    The worst feeling is having let our fans down.
    let the side down British English (=disappoint a group of people that you belong to)
  2. to make someone or something less successful or effective:
    McKenzie’s judgement rarely lets him down.
  3. to move something or someone to a lower position:
    Let down a rope so that I can climb up.
    Carefully, she let herself down into the water.
  4. let your hair down informal to relax and enjoy yourself, especially after working hard:
    Visitors young and old let their hair down and enjoyed the show.
  5. let your guard/defences down to relax and stop worrying about what might happen or what someone might find out about you:
    Maggie never really lets her guard down, does she?
  6. let somebody down lightly/gently to give someone bad news in a way that will not upset them too much:
    I get asked out on dates quite often, but I always try to let the guy down gently.
  7. British English to allow the air to escape from something so that it loses its shape and becomes flat:
    Someone’s let my tyres down!
  8. to make a piece of clothing longer by unfolding a folded edge
   OPP  take up
let somebody in on something phrasal verb
  to tell something that is secret or only known by a few people:
    TV chef Raymond Blanc lets us in on the secrets of his kitchen.
    Would someone mind letting me in on the joke?
let somebody/something into something phrasal verb
  1. to tell someone something that is secret or private:
    It was time to let the rest of the family into the secret.
  2. [usually passive] technical to put something such as a window or a decoration into a wall:
    Two large windows were let into the wall each side of the door.
let somebody/something off phrasal verb
  1. to not punish someone:
    I’ll let you off this time, but don’t do it again.
    let somebody/something off with
    After checking our identities, the customs men let us off with a warning.
    let somebody off the hook (=allow someone to escape punishment or criticism)
    He’d decided to make Sandra wait before letting her off the hook.
    let somebody off lightly/easily (=give someone a less serious punishment than they deserve)
    I think young criminals are let off far too lightly.
  2. let somebody off (something) if someone in authority lets you off something you should do, they give you permission not to do it:
    You’ve worked hard all week, so I’ll let you off today.
  3. let something ↔ off to make something explode:
    One boy had let off a firework in class.
  ⇨ let/blow off steam at steam¹(4)
let on phrasal verb informal
  to tell someone something, especially something you have been keeping secret
    let on (that)
    Don’t let on that I told you.
    let on who/why/how etc
    We never did let on how we found out.
    I’m sure he knows more than he’s letting on.
let out phrasal verb
  1. let out something to suddenly make a loud sound such as a shout or cry
    let out a scream/cry/roar etc
    He let out a cry of disbelief.
  2. let something ↔ out to make a piece of clothing wider or looser, especially because it is too tight
  3. let something ↔ out British English to charge someone an amount of money for the use of a room or building:
    We’re letting out our son’s old room to a student.
  4. American English if a school, college, film etc lets out, it ends and the people attending it can leave:
    What time does the movie let out? ⇨ let the cat out of the bag at cat(2)
let up phrasal verb
  1. to become less severe or harmful:
    The wind had dropped and the rain gradually let up.
  2. to be less severe, unkind, or violent towards someone:
    Even when the crowd had scattered, the police didn’t let up.
  3. to stop working as hard as you were:
    You’re doing really well, but you can’t afford to let up now.

II

let² noun
1. [countable] British English an arrangement in which a house or flat is rented to someone:
    An agency is managing the let.
    a long-term let
2. without let or hindrance law happening freely without being prevented in any way