let down

phrasal verb [transitive]
Word forms "let down":
present tense I/you/we/they let down he/she/it lets down present participle letting down past tense let down past participle let down

1)

a) to make someone disappointed by not doing something that they are expecting you to do

I was a bit late but I couldn't let them down completely.

The families of the victims feel that the justice system has let them down.

b) to work less hard or make more mistakes than the people who you are working with

She's a great player, and never lets her team down.

Any boy who misbehaves will be letting down the whole school.

2) to make someone or something less likely to be successful or effective

The whole system is let down by the poor quality of the graphics.

3) British to allow the air to go out of something such as a car tyre

4) to allow someone or something to move to a lower position

Let the bucket down carefully into the well.

5) to use the extra cloth in the hem (= bottom fold) of a piece of clothing to make it longer

6) let someone down gently to try to give someone bad news in a way that does not upset them too much

7) let the side down

informal to work less hard or to make more mistakes than the people who you are working with