let up

British  

verb

1. to diminish, slacken, or stop

2. informal (foll by on) to be less harsh (towards someone)

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noun

1. informal a lessening or abatement

let up Idioms  

1. See let down , def. 2.

2. Cease, stop entirely, as in The rain has let up so we can go out . [Late 1700s]

3. let up on . Be or become more lenient with, take the pressure off, as in Why don't you let up on the child? [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

let up

The pressures of a punishing selloff in the bond market just won’t let up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

"We needed to bounce back, and it was a great couple of days from the lads. I thought everyone was sharp. It was a great start and we didn't really let up after that."

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

This quartet from Kyoto, Japan, put the Mosswood crowd in a stranglehold at the Field Stage and didn’t let up once during its entire set of math-rocky, manic, candy-colored fury.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The resistance efforts haven’t let up: A new grassroots organization called Box Elder Accountability Referendum filed for a process to allow voters to overturn the commission’s approval.

From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2026

They stopped to eat when the rain let up.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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