Synonyms

let go

Idioms

Allow to escape, set free, as in The police decided to let him go . [c. 1300]
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]
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]
Cease to employ, dismiss, as in They had to let 20 workers go .
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 was soul-crushing every single day,” said Kristen Haskell, a 56-year-old mechanical engineer living in Maine, who spent five months doomjobbing after she was let go from her job last February.

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

Fears over artificial-intelligence disruption to software have gripped the market and refused to let go.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

Or would we demand that she compromise her principles because it’s pragmatic to let go of the idealism of youth?

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Around the same time, Mark was let go by the NBA—unfairly, according to both brothers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Abby let go with one hand, keeping her face pressed close to the roots.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

let go

Example Sentences

Related Words