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Glite Dictionary
to let it ride

to let it ride

7.0
Allow a situation to continue without changing it
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : dejarlo pasar
  • When faced with uncertainty, I prefer to let it ride rather than forcing changes.

Examples

Synonyms

to sit back
vsto let it ride
  • Informal
103 3.5

To do nothing when you should help

chooses non-interference while a situation continues without change
to leave it at that
vsto let it ride
49 5.3

To stop talking about an issue and accept it as it is

keeps the situation running without intervening or adding more action
to let it be
vsto let it ride
33 4.1

Accept a situation without trying to change it

permits a situation to continue without interference or modification
to let the chips fall where they may
vsto let it ride
  • Informal
6 7.8

To accept what happens and not try to change the result

focuses on letting situations continue rather than accepting outcomes specifically
to take as it comes
vsto let it ride
  • Informal
6 5.0

Accept what happens calmly and do not worry

means allowing a situation to continue without intervening, not just a calm attitude
to let sleeping dogs lie
vsto let it ride
  • Informal
4 6.9

Avoid talking about old problems to prevent more arguments

applies non-interference generally, not only to past disputes
to let it alone
vsto let it ride
2 3.0

Choose not to touch or change something

allows a situation to continue without actively interfering
to leave it be
vsto let it ride
  • Informal
1 5.1

To let something stay as it is without changing it

allows a situation to continue without interference or change
to wait until the dust settles
vsto let it ride
  • Informal
6.0

To delay action or decisions until things become clearer

prefers leaving a situation alone immediately rather than postponing action

Antonyms

to change
∞ 1.0

To make something or someone different

to intervene
197 5.0

To become involved in a situation to change or stop what is happening

How Involved

to intervene
197 5.0
to step in
240 3.2
to let it ride
7.0
to do nothing
888 1.5

Surface Forms

let it ride infinitive
let it ride past
let it ride past participle
letting it ride present participle
lets it ride third person singular

Morphology

let + it + ride

‘Let’ (allow) plus the neutral pronoun 'it' together with a metaphorical use of ‘ride’ (be carried on/continue) makes the general sense ‘allow something to continue’ inferable from the parts, so a learner who knows the words could guess the broad meaning. However, the specific pragmatic nuance (origins in gambling and the sense ‘don’t intervene/keep a decision unchanged’) relies on metaphorical extension and conventional usage rather than purely compositional logic, so it is not fully predictable.

Etymology

Let it ride comes from gambling, where a player keeps a bet on the table and lets it 'ride' into the next round instead of taking it back. So the picture of a bet staying there explains why the phrase means 'to allow a situation to continue without interfering'.