to let go
- phrasal verb
- /lɛt ɡoʊ/
- Wisdom, according to Bonaventure, is knowing when to let go and to let love prevail.
- let go of old ways
- learn to let go
- let go of the old
And if you do not let go and move forward in peace.
- And if you do not let go and move forward in peace.
- And and be willing to let go when he's just not the guy.
- Once I started forgiving and letting go and releasing resentment.
- Eventually every technique you have to let go like a raft.
Examples
-
You have to let me go.
-
The first phase is letting go of one's self and one's situation.
Academic text (2007) -
So my process to you is to let go and just let this be.
-
I gotta learn to let go of a lot of things.
-
It's about just letting go and just doing fun things.
-
I felt this need to let go of what I'd just been through.
Fiction book (1992) -
The third quality of spiritual maturity is our ability to let go and start afresh.
Academic text (1993) -
To move forward in life, you need to let go of your fears and insecurities.
-
After her breakup, she found it hard to let go of the memories they shared.
-
He learned to let go of his anger, which improved his relationships with others.
Synonyms
To let someone or something go free from being held
To stop taking part in a place or activity
To stop holding something so it is not in your hand
To stop thinking about something for a short time
Make something unwanted go away, like an illness, a feeling, or a person following you
Become relaxed and less tense after work or a stressful time
Gradually make someone stop depending on something they are attached to
To end a connection with a person, group, or idea
Relax and enjoy yourself without worrying
To stop thinking about a worry or feeling
To stop being involved with a person, group, or idea
To free someone or something from limits so they can act more freely
To stop feeling close to someone or something
To try to remove an emotion from yourself, for example anger or sadness
To let go of a strong feeling or control that holds you back
To free yourself from a promise or duty that controls your life
Antonyms
How Relaxed
- Informal
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal combination 'let' (allow) + 'go' (leave) yields 'allow someone to leave,' so a B1 learner might infer a sense of releasing or permitting departure. However, the specific conventionalized employment meaning 'to dismiss/fire someone' is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable from the constituents without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Let go may come from the picture of dropping a heavy bag or letting a balloon fly away. When you let your worries go, they leave you and you feel lighter, so the phrase means 'stop worrying'.