Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump to:
  • let-out
    let-out
    adjective
    (of fur) processed by cutting parallel diagonal slashes into the pelt and sewing the slashed edges together to lengthen the pelt and to improve the appearance of the fur.
  • let out
    let out
    verb
    to give vent to; emit
Synonyms

let-out

American  
[let-out, let-out] / ˈlɛtˈaʊt, ˈlɛtˌaʊt /

adjective

  1. (of fur) processed by cutting parallel diagonal slashes into the pelt and sewing the slashed edges together to lengthen the pelt and to improve the appearance of the fur.

noun

  1. Chiefly British. a means of escape; loophole.

let out British  

verb

  1. to give vent to; emit

    to let out a howl

  2. to allow to go or run free; release

  3. (may take a clause as object) to reveal (a secret)

  4. to make available to tenants, hirers, or contractors

  5. to permit to flow out

    to let air out of the tyres

  6. to make (a garment) larger, as by unpicking (the seams) and sewing nearer the outer edge

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a chance to escape

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
let out Idioms  

  1. Allow to get out ; also see get out of .

  2. Make known, reveal, as in I thought it was a secret—who let it out? [First half of 1800s] Also see let the cat out of the bag .

  3. Come to a close, end, as in What time does school let out? [Late 1800s]

  4. Increase the size of a garment, as in May's coat needs to be let out across the shoulders . This usage refers to opening some of the seams. [Late 1700s]

Etymology

Origin of let-out

First recorded in 1830–40; adj., noun use of verb phrase let out

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.

Let out your inner comic-book nerd with Marvel gear and a trip to MoPOP.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 20, 2018

Let out of their stalls for the first time in months, local cows kicked up their heels like horses.

From Time Magazine Archive

Let out more line, until you are shy of the fourth mark.

From Time Magazine Archive

Let out in an exercise yard there, he sprinted to a 7� ft. wire mesh fence, scaled it like a monkey, outran his astonished guards to freedom.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Let out anything?" asked Cowan in puzzled tones.

From Behind the line A story of college life and football by Barbour, Ralph Henry

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.