Dictionary

let down en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, transitive) To disappoint; to betray or fail somebody.
   • I had some problems and no one could seem to solve them / But you found the answer / You told me to take this chance and learn the ways of love / My baby, and all that it has to offer / In time you will see that love won't let you down. 1982, DeBarge, “All This Love (DeBarge song)”, in All This Love (album):
   • ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said: "AWC has continued to cancel services and, every day, continued to let passengers down. But the Government doesn't seem to care. 2023 April 5, “Network News: Conservatives accused of "rewarding Avanti's failure"”, in RAIL, number 980, page 6:
   • I promised him I would meet him there, and I will not let him down.
   • Just as they left, the younger of the two turned around and said, "Mr. President, I just want you to know that we're praying for you," and quickly closed the door behind him. I thought about these two men, and about the office workers that afternoon, and about the millions of others like them all across the country who still had faith in me. I knew that by resigning I would let them down. 1978, Richard Nixon, “The Presidency 1973–1974”, in RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon, Grosset & Dunlap, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 1065:
2. (transitive) To lengthen by undoing and resewing a hem.
3. (intransitive) To reduce one's level of effort.
4. To soften in tempering.
   • to let down tools or cutlery
5. To thin; to reduce the thickness or viscosity of.
   • let the sauce down with a little pasta water if it starts to become too thick; if the soup is too thick, you can let it down with a little milk; let the sauce down with a dash of the pickling liquor; use some of the stock to let down the onion sauce
6. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let, down: especially, to allow to descend.
   • let down a rope
   • let down your hair

Forms

Antonyms

stick with · stick by · hold on · take in · stand by · come through · keep faith · go to the wall for someone · keep faith · put up · abide by

Coordinates

let out

Deriveds

let someone down gently · letdown · let one's hair down · let-down

Synonyms

traitorize · cross up · swike · burn · assfuck · play someone false · false · turncoat · quisle · sell out · dingo · cross up · knife · sell out · go back on · stab in the back · double-cross · do the dirty on · do someone dirty · sell down · let down · stab in the back · cross out · sell down the river · sell the pass · cop out · sell · betray · renegade

Translations (119)

pl zawieść (to disappoint) · ja 下げる (to allow to descend) · sh izneveriti (to disappoint) · ro coborî (to allow to descend) · sh изневјерити (to disappoint) · de zurückhalten (to reduce one's level of effort) · sh пустити поруб (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · fi laskea (to allow to descend) · te జార్చు (to allow to descend) · la summittō (to allow to descend) · ru опуска́ть (to allow to descend) · sh spustiti (to allow to descend) · uk розчарува́ти (to disappoint) · it scontentare (to disappoint) · ru опусти́ть (to allow to descend) · sh razočarati (to disappoint) · sh омекшати при термичкој обради (to soften in tempering) · de herniederlassen (to allow to descend) · fr abaisser (to allow to descend) · de im Stich lassen (to disappoint) · ro slăbi efortul (to reduce one's level of effort) · cs spouštět (to allow to descend) · ja 失望させる (to disappoint) · pdt raufloten (to allow to descend) · pt decepcionar (to disappoint) · sh спустити (to allow to descend) · pl opuszczać (to allow to descend) · de erschweren (to reduce one's level of effort) · sh popustiti (to reduce one's level of effort) · sh pustiti porub (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · ja 下ろす (to allow to descend) · bg пусна надолу (to allow to descend) · nl teleurstellen (to disappoint) · cmn 低下 (to allow to descend) · de herablassen (to allow to descend) · cs spustit (to allow to descend) · sh разочарати (to disappoint) · de herunterlassen (to allow to descend) · lv pievilt (to disappoint) · cmn 對不起 /对不起 (to disappoint) · ro lăsa baltă (to disappoint) · ar أَنْزَلَ (to allow to descend) · de hängen lassen (to disappoint) · de herauslassen (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · sv svika (to disappoint) · de hängenlassen (to disappoint) · grc χαλάω (to allow to descend) · de beeinträchtigen (to reduce one's level of effort) · pt baixar (to allow to descend) · bg отпусна подгъв (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · pl opuścić (to allow to descend) · de ausbremsen (to reduce one's level of effort) · es alargar (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · cmn 放下 (to allow to descend) · uk спуска́ти (to allow to descend) · nl neerlaten (to allow to descend) · fi pidentää (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · ro trăda (to disappoint) · fr laisser tomber (to disappoint) · ro lăsa jos (to allow to descend) · pt desapontar (to disappoint) · sh smanjiti napor (to reduce one's level of effort) · fr descendre (to allow to descend) · bg удължа с отпускане на подгъва (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · cmn 辜負 /辜负 (to disappoint) · sh produžiti puštanjem poruba (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · it abbassare (to allow to descend) · bg спускам (to allow to descend) · uk опусти́ти (to allow to descend) · ru подводи́ть (to disappoint) · ru разочаро́вывать (to disappoint) · it deludere (to disappoint) · ro lenevi (to reduce one's level of effort) · de enttäuschen (to disappoint) · uk опуска́ти (to allow to descend) · got 𐌰𐍄𐌷𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (to allow to descend) · uk розчаро́вувати (to disappoint) · sh omekšati pri termičkoj obradi (to soften in tempering) · uk спусти́ти (to allow to descend) · sh смањити напор (to reduce one's level of effort) · ga scaoil anuas (to allow to descend) · hu átejt (to disappoint) · ru разочарова́ть (to disappoint) · bg намалявам усилията (to reduce one's level of effort) · fi hylätä (to disappoint) · sh попустити (to reduce one's level of effort) · fr faire descendre (to allow to descend) · ga clis ar (to disappoint) · de auslassen (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · fi temperoida (to soften in tempering) · fi pettää (to disappoint) · tr hayal kırıklığına uğratmak (to disappoint) · pl rozczarować (to disappoint) · uk підво́дити (to disappoint) · ru спуска́ть (to allow to descend) · ru подвести́ (to disappoint) · ru спусти́ть (to allow to descend) · sh iznevjeriti (to disappoint) · ro lăsa tivul (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · bg подведа (to disappoint) · hu cserben hagy (to disappoint) · de hinunterlassen (to allow to descend) · ro lungi tivul (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · hu becsap (to disappoint) · ro dezamăgi (to disappoint) · de runterlassen (to allow to descend) · izh pettää (to disappoint) · es bajar (to allow to descend) · uk підве́сти (to disappoint) · ro înmuia prin călire (to soften in tempering) · cmn 降低 (to allow to descend) · fi antaa periksi (to reduce one's level of effort) · bg разочаровам (to disappoint) · sh изневерити (to disappoint) · fr baisser (to allow to descend) · bg отпускам (to reduce one's level of effort) · sh продужити пуштањем поруба (to lengthen by undoing and resewing) · bg омекотявам при темпериране (to soften in tempering) · sv lämna i sticket (to disappoint)