let down

British  

verb

1. (also preposition) to lower

2. to fail to fulfil the expectations of (a person); disappoint

3. to undo, shorten, and resew (the hem) so as to lengthen (a dress, skirt, etc)

4. to untie (long hair that is bound up) and allow to fall loose

5. to deflate

   to let down a tyre

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noun

1. a disappointment

2. the gliding descent of an aircraft in preparation for landing

3. the release of milk from the mammary glands following stimulation by the hormone oxytocin

let down Idioms  

1. Cause to descend, lower, as in They let down the sails . [Mid-1100s]

2. Also, let up . Slacken, abate, as in Sales are letting down in this quarter , or They didn't let up in their efforts until the end . The first term dates from the mid-1800s, the variant from the late 1700s.

3. See let someone down . Also see let one's hair down .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

let down

When asked if the area had been let down by police, he nodded.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Cooper said Bush's actions were "utterly abhorrent, and my thoughts remain with all the bereaved families in Hull who were so badly let down."

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

But he also said Arday was unfairly hounded by the press and let down by Cambridge University, which overpromoted him then abandoned him when under scrutiny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

We jump ahead in time and see a grade-school-aged Ricky Bobby on Career Day, let down again by his dad’s absence.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Jerry let down the mainsail and gathered it in, wrapping it around the boom and looping a line around it to hold it.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt