to let it be
- phrasal verb
- /lɛt ɪt bi/
- Sometimes, you just have to let it be and accept the circumstances for what they are.
- just let it be
- let it be so
- let it be for now
And don't judge it and let it be and just acknowledge that it's there.
- And don't judge it and let it be and just acknowledge that it's there.
- If you're squatting in a big mansion, you got to let it be a Community Center.
- And so I just let it be and I just walked away from the sport.
- Those just let it be how it is.
- If you leave here with just one message, let it be this.
- Like if it's meant to be, let it be.
- And I've just agreed that I would, you know, let it be.
- But we decided to kind of let it be for now.
- And I tell myself, if that's the end, then let it be.
- Well, and how easy is it honestly to just let it be?
- like The Beatles song. Let it be
- And if we don't let it be born, we'll pay the price one way or another.
- As Teddy Predergrass sang, The world won't get no better if we just let it be.
- So if there's any video you watch all the way to the end, let it be this one because this is pretty big.
Examples
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So we might just let it be the way it is this year while we work on other projects.
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And so I just let it be and I just walked away from the sport.
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Those just let it be how it is.
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Just hold me now, and let it be.
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The artist in her decided to let it be: it was too lovely where it was.
Fiction book (2000) -
In the end, I always have to let it be.
Fiction book (1991) -
So at least let it be fun, at least let it be engaging.
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And don't judge it and let it be and just acknowledge that it's there.
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I don't know, just feel the emotion of it all and just let it be.
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Why don't we chill out a bit and let it be, giving our own shoulders a good pat?
Blog text (4)
Synonyms
To tolerate an unpleasant situation without complaining
To choose not to react to something annoying
Allow people or ideas you do not agree with
Accept a decision or result even if you are disappointed
To accept what happens and not try to change the result
Accept what happens calmly and do not worry
To accept an unpleasant situation without complaining
Choose not to touch or change something
Saying you accept a situation you cannot change
To let something stay as it is without changing it
To accept a situation you cannot change
Tell someone to accept a situation they cannot change
Give up control and trust God or a higher power
Allow a situation to continue without changing it
Accept something as it is even if you do not like it
Antonyms
How Involved
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'accept a situation and leave it unchanged' is directly built from 'let' (leave alone) + 'it' (the referent) + 'be' (remain), so a learner who knows the constituent words can compose the meaning. This is a common, literal construction in English (and mirrored in many languages), making the expression immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Let it be began as a simple command, with let meaning 'allow' and be meaning 'exist', used in old speech and the Bible to tell someone to leave something alone. That's why today let it be means 'accept a situation' and not try to change it.