let go
English
editPronunciation
editVerb
editlet go (third-person singular simple present lets go, present participle letting go, simple past and past participle let go)
- (intransitive, with of and transitive, with object before go) To release from one's grasp; to go from a state of holding on to a state of no longer holding on.
- 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
- 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.
- 1936, Robert Frost, “The Vindictives”, in A Further Range:
- But it wasn’t ransom enough.
His captors accepted it all,
But didn’t let go of the king.
- 2012, Katy Perry, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Cirkut (lyrics and music), “Wide Awake”, in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection[1], performed by Katy Perry:
- Falling from cloud nine / Crashing from the high / I'm letting go tonight / Yeah, I'm falling from cloud nine
- To emotionally disengage or distract oneself from a situation.
- 2010, Gary Haymes, Go Beyond Stress:
- You are supported, so you can just let go and relax. Inhale and slowly exhale.
- (euphemistic) To dismiss from employment.
- Synonyms: decruit, dehire, unhire; see also Thesaurus:lay off
- The secretary didn't work out, so her boss told her she was being let go.
- 2017 October 14, Paul Doyle, “Mauricio Pellegrino yet to find attacking solution for stuttering Southampton”, in the Guardian[2]:
- 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.
- (transitive) To ignore (a comment, etc.).
- 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 135:
- 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?"
- (euphemistic, transitive) To fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance.
- (euphemistic, usually reflexively) To gain weight.
- Wow, dude! You've really let yourself go this time!
- (euphemistic, usually reflexively) To gain weight.
- 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 $15k.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editother than idiom
to no longer hold on
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to emotionally disengage or to distract oneself from a situation
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dismiss from employment
euphemistic: to fail to maintain a standard of appearance, behavior, or performance
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