verb · 2 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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/lɛts/
rhymes with -ɛts
CMU ARPABET:L EH1 T S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
Used to form the cohortative of verbs, equivalent of the first-person plural imperative in some other languages.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Let’s eat lunch sometime, shall we?
I say let’s dance.
Let's buy a bottle of champagne if Mom comes, we’ll wait and see.
Let's go for a walk, shall we? -Sure, let’s.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
Used to form the hortative of verbs, equivalent of the second-person plural imperative in some other languages, chiefly instructional
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Let’s make sure we don’t forget proper punctuation, let's not let those mistakes happen again.
Hey guys, let’s check to make sure that we proofread.
Y’all, let’s stop talking please, y’all are driving me up the wall!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Contraction of let us. Compare non-contracted Dutch laat ons, German lass uns (speaker with one other person) / lasst uns (speaker with more other persons) and Swedish låt oss.
Across languages
Translations
64 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
لِـ
(li-)
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Arabic:
هَيَّا
(hayyā)
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Arabic:
دَعْنَا
(daʕnā)
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Arabic:
خلينا
(khalīna)
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Armenian:
արի
(ari)
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Armenian:
քել
(kʻel)
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Azerbaijani:
haydı
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Azerbaijani:
gəl
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Azerbaijani:
gəlin
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Azerbaijani:
-ək
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Azerbaijani:
-aq
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Chinese Cantonese:
不如
(bat1 jyu4)
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Chinese Mandarin:
我們
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative
Chinese Mandarin:
不如
(bùrú)
— let us; forming first-person plural imperative