MEANING
To reveal something you know or feel, especially something you could have kept hidden.
Use it for
describing concealed knowledge; showing someone hiding a reaction; saying that a person knows more than they admit; revealing awareness without giving full detailsExpresses whether someone reveals what they know or how they feel. Writing functions: Concealed knowledge.
Words that belong together
- let on that you know
- let on about a plan
- more than someone lets on
On the page
She knew the letter had arrived but never let on.
He was more worried about the appeal than he let on to his colleagues.
Word forms
- Base
- let on
- Past tense
- let on
- Past participle
- let on
- Present participle
- letting on
Usage notes
Phrasal verb: let on, lets on, let on, let on, letting on; future will let on. Common with that-clauses or about. Do not use *let it on. Register: informal. Commonness: common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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