- let
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2 Let, allow, permit, suffer, leave denote to refrain from preventing, or to fail to prevent, or to indicate an intention not to prevent. Let, allow, and permit, though frequently used with little distinction of meaning, are capable of discrimination.Let is the most informal{
her mother wouldn't let her go
}{she didn't go because her mother wouldn't let her
}Sometimes let implies failure to prevent through awkwardness, inadvertence, negligence, or inaction{the third baseman let the ball get through him
}{this dismal sketch of the future of countries that let themselves become dependent on the labor of other countries— Shaw
}{he is usually very particular not to let his beasts stray— F. D. Smith & Barbara Wilcox
}and sometimes it implies failure to prevent through lack of power or inclination{he'll have to be a good deal tougher than his dad, who lets himself be pushed around— Mead
}Allow and permit imply power or authority to prohibit or prevent.But allow may imply little more than acquiescence or lack of prohibition, whereas permit implies express signification of willingness{the freedom of conscience allowed dissenters, the tolerance extended to all creeds— Billing ton
}{a business or profession which allows you to get away when you want to— Joseph
}{I blush for the weakness that allows me to cherish such a passion— Gilbert
}{he permitted none but Quaker preachers to smoke or drink in his home— Starr
}{we do not give gifts, throw parties or pay bonuses at Christmas time. We do permit our employes to gather in the lobby and sing carols on Christmas Eve— Wall Street Jour.
}Suffer (somewhat bookish in this sense) is often a mere synonym for allow in the narrowest implication of that word{suffer little children to come unto me— Lk 18:16
}{suffer me to take your hand. Death comes in a day or two— Millay
}but it may imply indifference or reluctance{the eagle suffers little birds to sing— Shak.
}{she suffered herself to be led to the tiny enclosure where ... other generations had been buried— S. E. White
}{perhaps the whole business ... of the death penalty will seem ... an anachronism too discordant to be suffered, mocking with grim reproach— Cardozo
}Leave (see also GO 1) as used with the implication of letting, allowing, or permitting is not clearly distinct from the use discriminated at relinquish, but it tends to stress strongly the implication of noninterference; often it also suggests the departure of the person who might interfere{leave the choice of games to be settled by the guests
}{the defendant's attorney left him free to tell his story as he wished
}{we must leave the children to settle their affairs for themselves— Rose Macaulay
}
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
