let off
Britishverb
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(also preposition) to allow to disembark or leave
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to explode or fire (a bomb, gun, etc)
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(also preposition) to excuse from (work or other responsibilities)
I'll let you off for a week
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to allow to get away without the expected punishment, work, etc
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to let (accommodation) in portions
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to release (liquid, air, etc)
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See steam
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to give (a light punishment) to someone
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Release by exploding; see blow off steam .
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Allow to go free or escape; excuse from punishment. For example, They let her off from attending graduation , or The headmaster let him off with a reprimand . [Early 1800s] Also see off the hook .
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.
Stellantis parking scofflaws today don’t receive a fine and are typically let off with a warning, employees say.
Other pictures show triumphant supporters letting off flares.
From BBC
Mawuli’s kicking a ball around the compound, letting off steam after school as usual.
From Literature
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The old rock seemed to say that Mount St. Helens was simply letting off steam, not preparing to blow its top.
From Literature
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Lapaseotes was threatened with a $92,000 fine before she corrected the paperwork issue and was let off with a warning.
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.