Phrase guide

let down

verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To disappoint; to betray or fail somebody.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, transitive

Examples

  • I promised him I would meet him there, and I will not let him down.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cross up, dingo, sell out, stab in the back, assfuck, betray, burn, cop out, cross out, double-cross, do someone dirty, do the dirty on, false, go back on, knife, let down, play someone false, quisle, renegade, sell, sell the pass, sell down the river, sell down, swike, traitorize, turncoat

Antonyms: come through, keep faith, abide by, hold on, go to the wall for someone, stand by, stick by, stick with

2

verb

Meaning 2

To lengthen by undoing and resewing a hem.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: business, clothing, fashion, lifestyle, manufacturing, textiles

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: take in

3

verb

Meaning 3

To reduce one's level of effort.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To soften in tempering.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to let down tools or cutlery

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To thin; to reduce the thickness or viscosity of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: cooking, food, lifestyle

Examples

  • let the sauce down with a little pasta water if it starts to become too thick; if the soup is too thick, you can let it down with a little milk; let the sauce down with a dash of the pickling liquor; use some of the stock to let down the onion sauce

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let, down: especially, to allow to descend.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • let down your hair
  • let down a rope

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: put up

7

verb

Meaning 7

fail to meet the hopes or expectations of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Her boyfriend let her down when he did not propose marriage

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disappoint

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: thwart, queer, spoil, scotch, foil, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilk

Narrower terms: fail, betray, fall short, come short, disenchant, disillusion

8

verb

Meaning 8

move something or somebody to a lower position

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • take down the vase from the shelf

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lower, take down, get down, bring down

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: move, displace

Narrower terms: reef, depress, dip, incline

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

119 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: أَنْزَلَ (ʔanzala) — to allow to descend
  • Bulgarian: спускам (spuskam) — to allow to descend
  • Bulgarian: пусна надолу (pusna nadolu) — to allow to descend
  • Chinese Mandarin: 放下 (fàngxià) — to allow to descend
  • Chinese Mandarin: 低下 (dīxià) — to allow to descend
  • Chinese Mandarin: 降低 (jiàngdī) — to allow to descend
  • Czech: spouštět — to allow to descend
  • Czech: spustit — to allow to descend
  • Dutch: neerlaten — to allow to descend
  • Finnish: laskea — to allow to descend
  • French: baisser — to allow to descend
  • French: abaisser — to allow to descend
  • French: faire descendre — to allow to descend
  • French: descendre — to allow to descend
  • German: herunterlassen — to allow to descend
  • German: hinunterlassen — to allow to descend
  • German: herablassen — to allow to descend
  • German: herniederlassen — to allow to descend
  • German: runterlassen — to allow to descend
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐍄𐌷𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (athāhan) — to allow to descend
  • Ancient Greek: χαλάω (khaláō) — to allow to descend
  • Irish: scaoil anuas — to allow to descend
  • Italian: abbassare — to allow to descend
  • Japanese: 下げる (sageru) — to allow to descend
  • Japanese: 下ろす (orosu) — to allow to descend
  • Latin: summittō — to allow to descend
  • Plautdietsch: raufloten — to allow to descend
  • Polish: opuszczać — to allow to descend
  • Polish: opuścić — to allow to descend
  • Portuguese: baixar — to allow to descend
  • Romanian: lăsa jos — to allow to descend
  • Romanian: coborî — to allow to descend
  • Russian: опуска́ть (opuskátʹ) — to allow to descend
  • Russian: опусти́ть (opustítʹ) — to allow to descend
  • Russian: спуска́ть (spuskátʹ) — to allow to descend
  • Russian: спусти́ть (spustítʹ) — to allow to descend
  • Serbo-Croatian: спустити — to allow to descend
  • Serbo-Croatian: spustiti — to allow to descend
  • Spanish: bajar — to allow to descend
  • Telugu: జార్చు (jārcu) — to allow to descend
  • Ukrainian: опуска́ти (opuskáty) — to allow to descend
  • Ukrainian: опусти́ти (opustýty) — to allow to descend
  • Ukrainian: спуска́ти (spuskáty) — to allow to descend
  • Ukrainian: спусти́ти (spustýty) — to allow to descend
  • Bulgarian: разочаровам (razočarovam) — to disappoint
  • Bulgarian: подведа (podveda) — to disappoint
  • Chinese Mandarin: 辜負 /辜负 (gūfù, gūfu) — to disappoint
  • Chinese Mandarin: 對不起 /对不起 (duìbùqǐ) — to disappoint
  • Dutch: teleurstellen — to disappoint
  • Finnish: pettää — to disappoint
  • Finnish: hylätä — to disappoint
  • French: laisser tomber — to disappoint
  • German: im Stich lassen — to disappoint
  • German: enttäuschen — to disappoint
  • German: hängen lassen — to disappoint
  • German: hängenlassen — to disappoint
  • Hungarian: átejt — to disappoint
  • Hungarian: becsap — to disappoint
  • Hungarian: cserben hagy — to disappoint
  • Ingrian: pettää — to disappoint
  • Irish: clis ar — to disappoint
  • Italian: deludere — to disappoint
  • Italian: scontentare — to disappoint
  • Japanese: 失望させる (shitsubō saseru) — to disappoint
  • Latvian: pievilt — to disappoint
  • Polish: zawieść — to disappoint
  • Polish: rozczarować — to disappoint
  • Portuguese: decepcionar — to disappoint
  • Portuguese: desapontar — to disappoint
  • Romanian: dezamăgi — to disappoint
  • Romanian: trăda — to disappoint
  • Romanian: lăsa baltă — to disappoint
  • Russian: подводи́ть (podvodítʹ) — to disappoint
  • Russian: подвести́ (podvestí) — to disappoint
  • Russian: разочаро́вывать (razočaróvyvatʹ) — to disappoint
  • Russian: разочарова́ть (razočarovátʹ) — to disappoint
  • Serbo-Croatian: разочарати — to disappoint
  • Serbo-Croatian: изневерити — to disappoint
  • Serbo-Croatian: изневјерити — to disappoint
  • Serbo-Croatian: razočarati — to disappoint
  • Serbo-Croatian: izneveriti — to disappoint
  • Serbo-Croatian: iznevjeriti — to disappoint
  • Swedish: svika — to disappoint
  • Swedish: lämna i sticket — to disappoint
  • Turkish: hayal kırıklığına uğratmak — to disappoint
  • Ukrainian: підво́дити (pidvódyty) — to disappoint
  • Ukrainian: підве́сти (pidvésty) — to disappoint
  • Ukrainian: розчаро́вувати (rozčaróvuvaty) — to disappoint
  • Ukrainian: розчарува́ти (rozčaruváty) — to disappoint
  • Bulgarian: отпусна подгъв (otpusna podgǎv) — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Bulgarian: удължа с отпускане на подгъва (udǎlža s otpuskane na podgǎva) — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Finnish: pidentää — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • German: auslassen — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • German: herauslassen — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Romanian: lăsa tivul — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Romanian: lungi tivul — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Serbo-Croatian: пустити поруб — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Serbo-Croatian: продужити пуштањем поруба — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Serbo-Croatian: pustiti porub — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Serbo-Croatian: produžiti puštanjem poruba — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Spanish: alargar — to lengthen by undoing and resewing
  • Bulgarian: отпускам (otpuskam) — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Bulgarian: намалявам усилията (namaljavam usilijata) — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Finnish: antaa periksi — to reduce one's level of effort
  • German: ausbremsen — to reduce one's level of effort
  • German: beeinträchtigen — to reduce one's level of effort
  • German: erschweren — to reduce one's level of effort
  • German: zurückhalten — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Romanian: lenevi — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Romanian: slăbi efortul — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Serbo-Croatian: попустити — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Serbo-Croatian: смањити напор — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Serbo-Croatian: popustiti — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Serbo-Croatian: smanjiti napor — to reduce one's level of effort
  • Bulgarian: омекотявам при темпериране (omekotjavam pri temperirane) — to soften in tempering
  • Finnish: temperoida — to soften in tempering
  • Romanian: înmuia prin călire — to soften in tempering
  • Serbo-Croatian: омекшати при термичкој обради — to soften in tempering
  • Serbo-Croatian: omekšati pri termičkoj obradi — to soften in tempering