let go
Idioms-
Allow to escape, set free, as in The police decided to let him go . [c. 1300]
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Also, let go of . Release one's hold on, as in Please let go of my sleeve , or Once he starts on this subject, he never lets go . [Early 1400s]
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let it go . Allow it to stand or be accepted. For example, Let it go; we needn't discuss it further . This usage is sometimes amplified to let it go at that , meaning “allow matters to stand as they are.” [Late 1800s]
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Cease to employ, dismiss, as in They had to let 20 workers go .
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Also, let oneself go . Behave without restraint, abandon one's inhibitions; also, neglect one's personal hygiene and appearance. For example, When the music began, Jean let herself go and started a wild dance , or After her husband's death she let herself go, forgetting to bathe and staying in her nightgown all day . The first sense dates from the late 1800s, the second from the early 1900s.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It does not go un-noticed and will be letting go of those who are not trying hard enough.”
From Los Angeles Times
While frank about the difficulties in aging, Burnett says she found humor, joy and advice about the importance of being positive, maintaining friendships and letting go of things that don’t matter.
“We just kind of let go of the rope.”
From Los Angeles Times
The number of Americans who filed for new unemployment benefits decreased in the Christmas holiday week, but stayed near a monthslong range, as the U.S. employers hesitate to let go of their workforce.
But some employees will be let go, others will see their hours trimmed, and still others will never be hired because they’ve become too expensive to employ.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
