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.
Love yourself by letting go of what was, thankfully, never ours to control in the first place — the divine divination of love.
From Los Angeles Times
He has applied to more than 1,200 jobs since being let go from his role as an information security analyst for a government contractor in October.
From BBC
My sister loosens her grip but doesn’t let go.
From Literature
“This is only temporary. We’ll be together again soon,” she told him, and Danny took her pinky in his and didn’t let go until his social worker, Mrs. Contreras, beeped the car horn.
From Literature
Even for employees who enjoy work, letting go of the illusion that their job can love them back can provide “clarity,” Career Leap’s Perry said.
From MarketWatch
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.
