letup
- noun
- /ˈlɛtˌʌp/
- The team experienced a letup in their practice schedule, allowing them to recover before the big game.
- sign of a letup
- letup in the violence
- letup in sight
Examples
-
There was no letup for our boys.
-
Back and forth without letup, all afternoon long.
Fiction book (1991) -
I work five days in a row without a letup.
Fiction book (1998) -
There was no letup on the rain; the sky was stuffed with clouds.
Fiction book (1996) -
Solar radiation also beats down on us without letup, and skin cancer cases are on the rise.
Blog text (24) -
I've been running for days with no letup.
Fiction book (1993) -
These weeks have been tough, without letup, and those of us who are on a solitary path, as I am, feel such gratitude to you, Elizabeth, for putting into words what we are experiencing and, at the same time, reassuring us that we are still sane.
Blog text (2) -
It had become clear not only to Gorbachev and his negotiators but also to his generals in the field that there would be no letup in Afghanistan, and that the time to consider disengagement had come.
Academic text (2001) -
Despite the heavy workload, the manager announced a letup in deadlines next week to ease stress.
-
During the storm, there was a brief letup in the wind, giving us a chance to step outside.
Synonyms
A short rest from work or activity
A short break from an activity to rest or talk about what to do next
A short rest to recover energy
A short quiet time when activity pauses
A sudden decrease in amount, quality or rate
A short pause people take to calm down after a strong feeling
A short pause in an activity
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
letup = let + up (opaque) = let + up
The noun is based on the phrasal verb 'let up', but the relevant sense of 'let' is archaic/idiomatic and does not straightforwardly predict the meaning 'pause' or 'reduction in intensity'.
Etymology
Letup comes from the phrase let up, which meant 'to become less', as when the rain 'lets up'. So, a letup is a short pause or drop in pressure, activity, or noise.