letdown
/ˈlet.daʊn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈlet.daʊn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlet-ˌdau̇n/ (ame, mw)
letdown — noun
1. a feeling of sadness or dissatisfaction that comes after you had hoped or expect
a feeling of sadness or dissatisfaction that comes after you had hoped or expected something would be better, more exciting, or more successful than it turned out to be.
After months of buildup, the new superhero film was a real letdown for Kian and his friends.
common pattern: be + a (real/big/huge) letdown
Getting last place in the swimming final was a huge letdown for Heloísa after all her training.
common collocation: a huge letdown
The thin sandwiches at the wedding were a bit of a letdown compared with the food at the reception.
Asher said the new dinosaur museum was a total letdown because the famous T-Rex skeleton was missing.
What a letdown it was to arrive at the beach and find heavy rain and grey skies.
- disappointment
more neutral and general; works in formal writing where 'letdown' would feel too casual.
- anticlimax
stresses that something exciting was expected but the result felt flat or boring, not just disappointing.
- disillusionment
stronger and more lasting; the speaker loses belief in something, not just feels sad once.
文法句型
a + letdown
be + a letdown (to someone)
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the singular with an indefinite article (`a letdown`) and a `be`-verb. Often softened (`a bit of a letdown`) or intensified (`a real / huge / big / total letdown`); the bare plural `letdowns` is rare.
常見錯誤
letdown — verb
- letdownpresent simple I / you / we / they
- letdowns3rd person singular
- letdowning-ing form
- letdownedpast simple
1. to make a person feel sad, upset, or unsupported by failing to do what they were
to make a person feel sad, upset, or unsupported by failing to do what they were hoping or relying on you to do.
Liam promised to help with the move, so please don't let him down on Saturday morning.
pattern: let + pronoun + down (separable)
The midfielder felt she had let down the whole team by missing such an easy penalty.
common context: let down + group (team, family, fans)
Ife was afraid her grandparents would feel let down if she chose not to study medicine.
Daichi worked late every Friday because he refused to let the elderly clients at the food bank down.
Voters said the new mayor had let them down by raising the bus fares only three months after the election.
- disappoint
more formal and direct; works in writing where 'let down' feels too conversational.
- fail
stronger — implies you did not meet a duty or promise; 'let down' adds a personal, emotional dimension.
- betray
much stronger; suggests broken trust on purpose, not just an unmet expectation.
- support
do what someone needs you to do, the direct opposite of letting them down.
- come through
deliver on a promise, especially in a difficult moment.
文法句型
let + someone + down
let down + someone
用法筆記
Almost always separated: 'let + [object] + down' is the natural order, especially with pronoun objects ('let me down', 'let her down'). Frequently used in the passive ('feel let down', 'be let down by'). Distinguish from sense 2 (which lowers a physical object) and sense 3 (which slowly releases air, liquid, or pressure).
常見錯誤
2. to slowly move a physical object from a higher position to a lower one, usually
to slowly move a physical object from a higher position to a lower one, usually with a rope, a chain, or by hand, so that it does not fall or get damaged.
The sailors carefully let down the small boat over the side of the ship using thick ropes.
pattern: let down + heavy object + via instrument (rope/chain)
Andrei stood on the ladder and let the heavy chandelier down very slowly to the workbench.
separable: let + object + down
Two builders used a pulley to let the stone block down into the foundation pit.
Hoa let her long black hair down so that the hairdresser could see how thick it was.
The rescuers let a stretcher down the cliff face inch by inch to reach the injured climber.
文法句型
let + something + down
let down + something
用法筆記
Always takes a physical object as the thing being lowered. Often paired with adverbs of care: 'slowly', 'carefully', 'gently', 'inch by inch'. Distinguish from sense 1 (which is about disappointing a person) and from sense 3 (which is about releasing air from a tyre or balloon).
常見錯誤
3. to release the air from a tyre, balloon, or other inflated object so that it bec
to release the air from a tyre, balloon, or other inflated object so that it becomes flat, either on purpose or by mistake.
Some teenagers had let down the tyres on every car parked along Lower Brook Street overnight.
common context: vandalism — let down + tyres
Christopher accidentally let the air bed down by leaning on the valve while he was sleeping.
pattern: let + object + down
After the birthday party, Kasia let the big helium balloons down before tying them up for storage.
The driver had to let the back tyres down a little to drive across the soft sand without sinking.
Élise found her front bicycle wheel completely flat and realised someone had let it down on purpose.
- deflate
more formal and technical; the standard verb in instructions and writing.
- let the air out of
the most common American equivalent; explicit about what is happening.
文法句型
let + something + down
let down + something
用法筆記
Mostly British English; American speakers typically say 'let the air out of' or 'deflate'. The object is almost always something that holds air (tyre, balloon, air bed, inflatable). Distinguish from sense 1 (disappointing a person) and sense 2 (lowering a physical object).