let 1 of 2

1
2
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

3
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

4

let

2 of 2

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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of let
Verb
The lovebirds also shared a few items and split before the check came, letting security take care of the bill, the gossip outlet adds. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 27 May 2025 Those let in received two-year protection from deportation and work permits. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025 Trump demanded that local officials not let the athlete compete in the state finals, but a 2013 law allows athletes to compete on any team that reflects their gender identity. Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 27 May 2025 In early 2024, rumors circulated online that Ramirez had been let go because of their outspoken advocacy for Palestine amid Israel’s ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip. Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for let
Recent Examples of Synonyms for let
Verb
  • However, on May 19 the Supreme Court issued a ruling favoring the Trump administration by allowing the termination of TPS to proceed while the case is litigated.
    Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 31 May 2025
  • Cagle said some light rail stations are already fare zones, which allow CATS employees to ask people who don’t have a ticket or bus pass to leave.
    Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • Go big and rent a jet ski or pontoon boat, or take things down a notch with a kayak or standup paddleboard—all of which are available through Young Harris Water Sports & RV.
    Lydia Mansel, Southern Living, 31 May 2025
  • There are 51 overall with 31 available to rent ranging from cliffside suites to seven-bedroom estates such as the new 9.513 square foot Wings which is on the market for $32.5 million but also available to rent by the week and has six freestanding bedrooms each with its own plunge pool.
    Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • Centralized registries could enable real-time tracking of donors.
    William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • Congress generally has 45 days to review and approve the request, but Vought is arguing that the end of the fiscal year would enable the administration to bypass a vote.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • Marie Lodi My next session took place three months later, at which time Francis said my skin had tolerated the laser really well.
    Marie Lodi, Allure, 1 June 2025
  • Which means that losing in the second round again, for instance, won’t be tolerated and could cost Treliving — set to enter the third year of what is, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, a four-year contract — his job.
    Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Noun
  • Kennedy’s announcement does not broadly address healthy adults, but under the new FDA framework, healthy adults who wish to receive the fall COVID-19 vaccine will likely face obstacles.
    Libby Richards, The Conversation, 29 May 2025
  • The Times spoke to both sides, as well as multiple experts to better understand the high-stakes litigation, which faces obstacles but could shake up California’s home insurance industry.
    Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
Verb
  • But even now, decades later, the U.S. has fewer missile interceptors deployed (44) than the treaty permitted (100).
    Matthew Bunn, The Conversation, 6 June 2025
  • Teams are permitted to have up to 35 players in their squad at the start of the tournament (and must have a minimum of 26).
    Will Jeanes, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • There is a funny trend within the trend, though: As Crain’s found, and a quick search of our own confirms, a bunch of these clinics have leased office space along a commercial strip on or just off Madison Avenue, forming a trippy little corridor around Grand Central.
    Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 2 June 2025
  • OpenAI leases about 1 million square feet of space across five different locations in the city and employs roughly 2,000 people in San Francisco.
    Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2025
Verb
  • What can also be said with certainty, however, is that — even ignoring, for one moment, the events that brought him to Chelmsford crown court in Essex, east of London — this is a story of what might have been.
    Stuart James, New York Times, 6 June 2025
  • Public health is too important to rely on speculation and too important to ignore when the data speaks for itself.
    Olga Bolden-Tiller, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Let.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/let. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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