let down

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let down (third-person singular simple present lets down, present participle letting down, simple past and past participle let down)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let,‎ down.
2. (transitive) To allow to descend.

   They let down the rope and I fastened it to the basket.

3. (transitive, idiomatic) To disappoint; to betray or fail somebody.

   I promised him I would meet him there, and I will not let him down.

   • 1978, Richard Nixon, “The Presidency 1973–1974”, in RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon‎^[1], Grosset & Dunlap, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 1065:

     Just as they left, the younger of the two turned around and said, "Mr. President, I just want you to know that we're praying for you," and quickly closed the door behind him.
     I thought about these two men, and about the office workers that afternoon, and about the millions of others like them all across the country who still had faith in me. I knew that by resigning I would let them down.

   • 1982, The English Beat, “Save It for Later”, in Special Beat Service:

     Sooner or later / You hit the deck, you get found out / Save it for later / Don't run away and let me down

   • 2023 April 5, “Network News: Conservatives accused of "rewarding Avanti's failure"”, in RAIL, number 980, page 6:

     ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said: "AWC has continued to cancel services and, every day, continued to let passengers down. But the Government doesn't seem to care.

4. (transitive, of clothing) To lengthen by undoing and resewing a hem.

   Antonym: take in

   Coordinate term: let out

5. (intransitive) To reduce one's level of effort.
6. To soften in tempering.

   to let down tools or cutlery

7. (cooking) To thin; to reduce the thickness or viscosity of.

   let the sauce down with a little pasta water if it starts to become too thick; if the soup is too thick, you can let it down with a little milk; let the sauce down with a dash of the pickling liquor; use some of the stock to let down the onion sauce