What does let mean?
Let is a highly versatile English verb used chiefly to mean allow or permit. It can introduce permission, as in let me help, or cause something to occur, as in let the water run. The word also appears in many familiar expressions, including let go, let down, let off, and let alone. In older formal English, let can mean rent or lease, although this use is uncommon today. As a noun, let has a specialized sporting meaning: an interruption or fault in a game, especially tennis, that requires the play to be repeated. Let is an unusually stable verb form: its base form and past tense are both let, while the -ing form is letting and the third-person singular is lets. Its meanings range from straightforward permission to release, and from granting an opportunity to allowing something to happen without interference. The word is easy to use but requires attention to complement patterns, especially the use of a bare infinitive after the object.
To allow or give permission to someone to do something; to cause or allow something to happen; or, in older usage, to rent or lease something.
"The coach let the goalkeeper take the penalty."
After let followed by an object, the infinitive normally has no to: let him try, not let him to try.
An obstruction or service fault in a game such as tennis that requires the point or serve to be replayed.
"The umpire called a let after the serve touched the net."
This noun sense is specialized and relatively uncommon in general writing.
The plural is used for the rare noun sense, especially for repeated interruptions in a game.
"Several lets interrupted the match."
Unlike most English verbs, let looks exactly the same in its base form and its past tense, a small quirk that has remained in the language for centuries.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does let come from?
English let descends from Old English lǣtan, meaning to allow, release, or leave, and ultimately from a Germanic root associated with allowing or permitting. The modern form developed through Middle English, where it gradually replaced older variants and settled into the distinctive pattern of using let for both the base form and the past tense. Its relatives remain visible in other Germanic languages, including German lassen, Dutch laten, Icelandic láta, and Swedish låta.
Related word forms
How let is actually used
The verb is neutral in register but often sounds more direct and conversational than permit or authorize. After let, use the bare infinitive rather than to: let him go, not let him to go. In the expression let alone, the meaning is to leave something or someone undisturbed.
Easily confused with let
Let means to allow or permit, whereas late means arriving or occurring after the expected time.