Dictionary

let go en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (intransitive, transitive, with object before go, with-of) To release from one's grasp; to go from a state of holding on to a state of no longer holding on.
   • But it wasn’t ransom enough. His captors accepted it all, But didn’t let go of the king. 1936, Robert Frost, “The Vindictives”, in A Further Range:
   • You're hurting him! Let him go!
   • Falling from cloud nine / Crashing from the high / I'm letting go tonight / Yeah, I'm falling from cloud nine 2012, Katy Perry, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Cirkut, “Wide Awake”, in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, performed by Katy Perry:
   • He had one hand on the bounce bottle—and he'd never let go of that since he got back to the table—but he had a handkerchief in the other and was swabbing his deadlights with it. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
   • Let go of the phone.
2. To emotionally disengage or distract oneself from a situation.
   • You are supported, so you can just let go and relax. Inhale and slowly exhale. 2010, Gary Haymes, Go Beyond Stress:
3. (euphemistic) To dismiss from employment.
   • The secretary didn't work out, so her boss told her she was being let go.
   • Puel was let go in June despite leading Southampton to their first major final for 14 years and an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. But apparently his style was too boring and some players and many fans disliked his method, so he had to go – fair enough but look at them now. 2017 October 14, Paul Doyle, “Mauricio Pellegrino yet to find attacking solution for stuttering Southampton”, in the Guardian:
4. (transitive) To ignore (a comment, etc.).
   • Cora gave her shoulders a rebellious toss. "I'm sick of always getting oysters; I'd sooner come out with you." Bradly let that go. "You had enough money this week without getting oysters, didn't you?" 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 135:
5. (euphemistic, transitive) To fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance.
6. (euphemistic, qualifier:usually reflexively, transitive) To fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance. ▸ To gain weight.
   • Wow, dude! You've really let yourself go this time!
7. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let, go.
   • Please, Mom, can you let me go to her party?
   • We shan’t let our old car go to anyone for less than 15 grand.

Forms

Deriveds

let someone go · let go and let God · let go by the run · let oneself go

Synonyms

throw out · give someone the heave-ho · can · discard · pink slip · remove · dehire · lay off · give someone the old heave-ho · axe · promote to customer · unhire · let someone go · fire · give the axe · let go · decruit · release · retrench · fire · discharge · dismiss · give the elbow · lay off · unhire · dehire · term · make redundant · shit-can · downsize · serve notice · give someone the boot · unhand · leggo · give the chop · decruit · sack · relinquish · terminate · give someone their cards

Translations (93)

uk відпусти́ти (to no longer hold on) · sv avpollettera (dismiss from employment) · uk відпуска́ти (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · la dimitto (dismiss from employment) · sv släppa (to no longer hold on) · de sich gehen lassen (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · tr salmak (to no longer hold on) · ota صالمق (to no longer hold on) · fi antaa olla (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · hu elereszt (to no longer hold on) · it lasciarsi andare (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · nl loslaten (to no longer hold on) · fr lâcher (to no longer hold on) · ota صالمق (other than idiom) · fi päästää käsistään (to no longer hold on) · sv säga upp (dismiss from employment) · chr ᏚᏲᏍᎦ (to no longer hold on) · sv entlediga (dismiss from employment) · la demitto (dismiss from employment) · hu elengedi magát (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · pt demitir (dismiss from employment) · pl żegnać się (dismiss from employment) · it lasciarsi andare (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · ja 放す (to no longer hold on) · es desasir (to no longer hold on) · da slippe (to no longer hold on) · tr aldırmak (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · es soltar (to no longer hold on) · ru отпуска́ть (to no longer hold on) · it lasciar perdere (other than idiom) · gl soltar (to no longer hold on) · fi päästää (other than idiom) · fi päästää (to no longer hold on) · sa मुञ्चति (to no longer hold on) · pl zapuścić (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · la mitto (to no longer hold on) · ko 놓다 (to no longer hold on) · sv ge silkessnöret (dismiss from employment) · hu elenged (to no longer hold on) · tr bırakmak (to no longer hold on) · pl pozwolić pójść (other than idiom) · hu elhagyja magát (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · hu elhanyagolja magát (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · ota براقمق (to no longer hold on) · fi antaa mennä (to no longer hold on) · pl zaniedbywać (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · uk відпусти́ти (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · cmn 放开 (to no longer hold on) · ro da drumul (to no longer hold on) · fi irtisanoa (dismiss from employment) · it prendere fiato (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · dsb pušćaś (to no longer hold on) · pl puszczać (to no longer hold on) · el αφήνω (to no longer hold on) · pl wypuszczać (to no longer hold on) · ta விடு (to no longer hold on) · pl odpuścić (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · fi päästää irti (to no longer hold on) · ru отпусти́ть (to no longer hold on) · uk відпуска́ти (to no longer hold on) · txb tärk- (to no longer hold on) · da give slip på (to no longer hold on) · fi antaa mennä (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · gl deixar (to no longer hold on) · pl puścić (to no longer hold on) · pt ir (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · pl odpuszczać (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · fi antaa mennä (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · pl pozwalać pójść (other than idiom) · eo delasi (to no longer hold on) · it lasciar andare (other than idiom) · cmn 放手 (to no longer hold on) · fi hellittää otteensa (to no longer hold on) · sv släppa (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · hu elbocsát (dismiss from employment) · de sich trennen von (dismiss from employment) · es dejar / permitir ir (other than idiom) · pl pożegnać się (dismiss from employment) · pl zapuszczać (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · pl zaniedbać (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · ga scaoil (de) (to no longer hold on) · cmn 放開 /放开 (to no longer hold on) · de nachlassen (euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance) · hu elküld (dismiss from employment) · fr laisser tomber (to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation) · fi antaa mennä (other than idiom) · it lasciare perdere (to no longer hold on) · pt soltar (to no longer hold on) · de loslassen (to no longer hold on) · ota براقمق (other than idiom) · pl wypuścić (to no longer hold on) · da lade gå (dismiss from employment) · it lasciare stare (to no longer hold on)