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Let vs Make - What's the difference?

let | make |

As verbs the difference between let and make

is that let is (label) to allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without (to)) or let can be (archaic) to hinder, prevent; to obstruct (someone or something) while make is to create .

As nouns the difference between let and make

is that let is an obstacle or hindrance while make is (often of a car) brand or kind; often paired with model or make can be (dialectal) mate; a spouse or companion or make can be .

let

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) leten, .

Verb

  • (label) To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without (to)).
  • :
  • *(Bible), (w) viii. 28
  • *:Pharaoh said, I will let you go.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:If your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is
  • *1971 , , (The Tombs of Atuan)
  • *:He could not be let die of thirst there alone in the dark.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author=(Oliver Burkeman)
  • , volume=189, issue=2, page=27, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= The tao of tech , passage=The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing",
  • To leave.
  • :
  • *(Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)
  • *:Yet neither spins nor cards, ne cares nor frets, / But to her mother Nature all her care she lets .
  • (label) To allow the release of (a fluid).
  • :
  • (label) To allow possession of (a property etc.) in exchange for rent.
  • :
  • (label) To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; often with out .
  • :
  • (label)
  • :
  • :
  • :
  • :
  • To cause (+ bare infinitive).
  • :
  • *:
  • Soo within a whyle kynge Pellinore cam with a grete hoost / and salewed the peple and the kyng / and ther was grete ioye made on euery syde / Thenne the kyng lete serche how moche people of his party ther was slayne / And ther were founde but lytel past two honderd men slayne and viij kny?tes of the table round in their pauelions
  • *1818 , (John Keats), "To—":
  • *:Time's sea hath been five years at its slow ebb, / Long hours have to and fro let creep the sand.
  • Synonyms
    * (to allow) allow, permit
    Usage notes
    The use of "let" to introduce an imperative may sometimes be confused with its use, as its own imperative , in the sense of "to allow". For example, the sentence "Let me go to the store." could either be a second-person imperative of "let" (addressing someone who might prevent the speaker from going to the store) or a first-person singular imperative of "go" (not implying any such preventer).

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) . More at late, delay.

    Verb

  • (archaic) To hinder, prevent; to obstruct (someone or something).
  • * Bible, 2. Thessalonians ii. 7
  • He who now letteth' will ' let , until he be taken out of the way.
  • * Tennyson
  • Mine ancient wound is hardly whole, / And lets me from the saddle.
  • (obsolete) To prevent or obstruct (to) do something, or (that) something happen.
  • * 1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , Acts VIII:
  • And as they went on their waye, they cam unto a certayne water, and the gelded man sayde: Se here is water, what shall lett me to be baptised?

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An obstacle or hindrance.
  • *, II.16:
  • *:Paulus Emilius'' going to the glorious expedition of ''Macedon'', advertised the people of ''Rome'' during his absence not to speake of his actions: ''For the licence of judgements is an especiall let in great affaires.
  • *Latimer
  • *:Consider whether your doings be to the let of your salvation or not.
  • (tennis) The hindrance caused by the net during serve, only if the ball falls legally.
  • Statistics

    *

    make

    English

    (wikipedia make)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) . Related to match .

    Verb

  • To create.
  • #To construct or produce.
  • #:
  • #*
  • #*:Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
  • #*
  • #*:I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.
  • #*
  • #*:Yet in “Through a Latte, Darkly”, a new study of how Starbucks has largely avoided paying tax in Britain, Edward Kleinbard. In Starbucks’s case, the firm has in effect turned the process of making an expensive cup of coffee into intellectual property.
  • #To write or compose.
  • #:
  • #To bring about.
  • #:
  • #:
  • To behave, to act.
  • :
  • :
  • :
  • (lb) To tend; to contribute; to have effect; with for'' or ''against .
  • *(Matthew Arnold) (1822-1888)
  • *:It makes for his advantage.
  • *(Bible), (w) xiv.19:
  • *:Follow after the things which make for peace.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:Considerations infinite / Do make against it.
  • To constitute.
  • :
  • *2014 , A teacher, " Choosing a primary school: a teacher's guide for parents", The Guardian , 23 September:
  • *:So if your prospective school is proudly displaying that "We Are Outstanding" banner on its perimeter fence, well, that is wonderful … but do bear in mind that in all likelihood it has been awarded for results in those two subjects, rather than for its delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum which brings out the best in every child. Which is, of course, what makes a great primary school.
  • *1995 , Harriette Simpson Arnow: Critical Essays on Her Work , p.46:
  • *:Style alone does not make a writer.
  • *
  • *:We made an odd party before the arrival of the Ten, particularly when the Celebrity dropped in for lunch or dinner. He could not be induced to remain permanently at Mohair because Miss Trevor was at Asquith, but he appropriated a Hempstead?cart from the Mohair stables and made the trip sometimes twice in a day.
  • To interpret.
  • :
  • To bring into success.
  • :
  • *(John Dryden) (1631-1700)
  • *:who makes or ruins with a smile or frown
  • To cause to be.
  • :
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= The attack of the MOOCs , passage=Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.}}
  • To cause to appear to be; to represent as.
  • * (c.1568-1645)
  • *:He is not that goose and ass that Valla would make him.
  • *
  • *:So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills,a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
  • To cause (to do something); to compel (to do something).
  • :
  • *
  • *:In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.Strangers might enter the room, but they were made to feel that they were there on sufferance: they were received with distance and suspicion.
  • To force to do.
  • :
  • To indicate or suggest to be.
  • :
  • To cover neatly with bedclothes.
  • To recognise, identify.
  • *1939 , (Raymond Chandler), (The Big Sleep) , Penguin 2011, p.33:
  • *:I caught sight of him two or three times and then made him turning north into Laurel Canyon Drive.
  • *2004 , George Nolfi et al., (w, Ocean's Twelve) , Warner Bros. Pictures, 0:50:30:
  • *:Linus Caldwell: Well, she just made Danny and Yen, which means in the next 48 hours the three o' your pictures are gonna be in every police station in Europe.
  • *2007 May 4, Andrew Dettmann et al., "Under Pressure", episode 3-22 of , 00:01:16:
  • *:David Sinclair: (walking) Almost at Seventh; I should have a visual any second now. Damn, that was close.
    Don Eppes: David, he make you?
    David Sinclair: No, I don't think so.
  • To arrive at a destination, usually at or by a certain time.
  • :
  • *Sir (Thomas Browne) (1605-1682)
  • *:They that sail in the middle can make no land of either side.
  • To proceed (in a direction).
  • :
  • (lb) To cover (a given distance) by travelling.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2 , passage=I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town. I was completely mystified at such an unusual proceeding.}}
  • *1918 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), , Chapter VIII:
  • *:I made over twenty miles that day, for I was now hardened to fatigue and accustomed to long hikes, having spent considerable time hunting and exploring in the immediate vicinity of camp.
  • (lb) To move at (a speed).
  • :
  • To appoint; to name.
  • *1991 , Bernard Guenée, Between Church and State: The Lives of Four French Prelates (ISBN 0226310329):
  • *:On November 15, 1396,Benedict XIII made him bishop of Noyon;
  • To induct into the Mafia or a similar organization (as a made man).
  • *1990 , Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese, (Goodfellas) :
  • *:Jimmy Conway: They're gonna make him.
  • *:Henry Hill: Paulie's gonna make you?
  • To defecate or urinate.
  • *
  • *
  • (lb) To earn, to gain (money, points, membership or status).
  • :
  • *{{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 2, work=BBC
  • , title= Wales 2-1 Montenegro , passage=Wales' defence had an unfamiliar look with Cardiff youngster Darcy Blake preferred to 44-cap Danny Gabbidon of Queen's Park Rangers, who did not even make the bench.}}
  • *{{quote-news, year=2012, date=May 20, author=Nathan Rabin, work=The Onion AV Club
  • , title= TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Marge Gets A Job” (season 4, episode 7; originally aired 11/05/1992) , passage=Bart spies an opportunity to make a quick buck so he channels his inner carny and posits his sinking house as a natural wonder of the world and its inhabitants as freaks, barking to dazzled spectators, “Behold the horrors of the Slanty Shanty! See the twisted creatures that dwell within! Meet Cue-Ball, the man with no hair!”}}
  • (lb) To pay, to cover (an expense);
  • *1889 May 1, Chief Justice , Pensacola & A. R. Co. v. State'' of Florida (judicial opinion), reproduced in ''The Southern Reporter , Volume 5, West Publishing Company, p.843:
  • *:Whether,would present a case in which the exaction of prohibitory or otherwise onerous rates may be prevented, though it result in an impossibility for some or all of the roads to make expenses, we need not say; no such case is before us.
  • *2005 , Yuvi Shmul and Ron Peltier, Make It Big with Yuvi: How to Buy Or Start a Small Business, the Best Investment , AuthorHouse, ISBN 1-4259-0021-6, p.67:
  • *:At first glance, you may be able to make' rent and other overhead expenses because the business is doing well, but if sales drop can you still ' make rent?
  • *2011 , Donald Todrin, Successfully Navigating the Downturn , Entrepreneur Press, ISBN 1-59918-419-2, p.194:
  • *:So you can’t make' payroll. This happens.many business owners who have never confronted it before will be forced to deal with this most difficult matter of not ' making payroll.
  • To compose verses; to write poetry; to versify.
  • :(Chaucer)
  • :(Tennyson)
  • *ca.1360-1387 , (William Langland), (Piers Plowman)
  • *:to solace him some time, as I do when I make
  • To enact; to establish.
  • *1791 , The (First Amendment to the United States Constitution):
  • *:Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
  • To develop into; to prove to be.
  • :
  • To form or formulate in the mind.
  • :
  • (lb) To act in a certain manner; to have to do; to manage; to interfere; to be active; often in the phrase to meddle or make .
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:a scurvy, jack-a-nape priest to meddle or make
  • (lb) To increase; to augment; to accrue.
  • (lb) To be engaged or concerned in.
  • *(John Dryden) (1631-1700)
  • *:Gomez, what makest thou here, with a whole brotherhood of city bailiffs?
  • Derived terms
    * formake * make a deal * make a face * make a fuss * make a move * make a muscle * make a pass * make a promise * make a wish * make an honest woman out of * make an offer * make away * make away with * make book * make conscience * make do * make good on (a promise) * make for * make friends * make hay * make hay while the sun shines * make into * make it * make light of * make like * make love * make merry * make money * make music * make off with * make-or-break * make out * make over * make right * make room * make someone's blood boil * make someone's blood run cold * make something of * make the most of * make time * make to * make up * make water * make whole * make with * mismake * unmake
    See also
    *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (often of a car) Brand or kind; often paired with model.
  • What make of car do you drive?
  • How a thing is made; construction. (jump)
  • * {{quote-book, 1907, , A Horse's Tale citation
  • , passage=I can name the tribe every moccasin belongs to by the make of it.}}
  • Origin of a manufactured article; manufacture. (jump)
  • * {{quote-book, year=1905, author=
  • , title= , chapter=2 citation , passage=The cane was undoubtedly of foreign make , for it had a solid silver ferrule at one end, which was not English hall–marked.}}
    The camera was of German make .
  • (uncountable) Quantity produced, especially of materials. (jump)
  • * {{quote-news, 1902, September 16, , German Iron and Steel Production, The New York Times, page=8 citation
  • , passage=In 1880 the make of pig iron in all countries was 18,300,000 tons.}}
  • (dated) The act or process of making something, especially in industrial manufacturing. (jump)
  • * {{quote-book, 1908, Charles Thomas Jacobi, Printing: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Typography as Applied More Particularly to the Printing of Books, page=331 citation
  • , passage=
  • A person's character or disposition. (jump)
  • * {{quote-book, 1914, Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton, Perch of the Devil, page=274 citation
  • , passage=I never feel very much excited about any old thing; it's not my make ; but I've got a sort of shiver inside of me, and a watery feeling in the heart region.}}
  • (bridge) The declaration of the trump for a hand.
  • * {{quote-book, 1925, Robert William Chambers, The Talkers, page=195 citation
  • , passage=It's your make as the cards lie. Take your time.}}
  • (physics) The closing of an electrical circuit. (jump)
  • * {{quote-book, 1947, Charles Seymour Siskind, Electricity, page=94 citation
  • , passage=If the interrupter operated every 2 sec., the current would rise to 10 amp. and drop to zero with successive "makes " and "breaks."}}
  • (computing) A software utility for automatically building large applications, or an implementation of this utility.
  • * {{quote-book, 2003, D. Curtis Jamison, Perl Programming for Biologists, page=115, isbn=0471430595 citation
  • , passage=However, the unzip and make programs weren't found, so the default was left blank.}}
  • (slang) Recognition or identification, especially from police records or evidence. (jump)
  • * {{quote-book, 2003, John Lutz, The Night Spider, page=53, isbn=0786015160 citation
  • , passage="They ever get a make on the blood type?" Horn asked, staring at the stained mattress.}}
  • Past or future target of seduction (usually female). (jump)
  • * {{quote-book, 2007, Prudence Mors Rains, Becoming an Unwed Mother, page=26 citation
  • , passage=To me, if I weren't going with someone and was taking pills, it would be like advertising that I'm an easy make .}}
  • * {{quote-book, 1962, Ralph Moreno, A Man's Estate citation
  • , passage=She's your make , not mine.
  • (slang, military) A promotion.
  • * {{quote-book, 2004, Joseph Stilwell, Seven Stars: The Okinawa Battle Diaries of Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. and Joseph Stilwell, page=94 citation
  • , passage=Sent back the list of makes with only Post and Hamilton on it. (Buckner had recommended 10 staff officers and 1 combat soldier!)}}
  • A home-made project
  • * '>citation
  • Synonyms
    * brand; type; manufacturer * (jump) construction; manufacture * (jump) origin; manufacture * (jump) production; output * (jump) making; manufacture; manufacturing; production * (jump) makeup, disposition, character; type, way * (jump) closing; completion; actuation * (jump) ID, identification * (jump) lay

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) . See also match .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (dialectal) Mate; a spouse or companion.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , I.vii:
  • Th'Elfe therewith astownd, / Vpstarted lightly from his looser make , / And his vnready weapons gan in hand to take.
  • * {{quote-book, 1624, , The Masque of Owls at Kenilworth
  • , passage=Where their maids and their makes / At dancing and wakes, / Had their napkins and posies / And the wipers for their noses}}

    Etymology 3

    Origin uncertain.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • * {{quote-book, 1826, , Woodstock; Or, the Cavalier
  • , passage=the last we shall have, I take it; for a make to a million, but we trine to the nubbing cheat to-morrow.}}
  • * 1934 , (Lewis Grassic Gibbon), Grey Granite , Polygon 2006 (A Scots Quair), p. 606:
  • Only as he climbed the steps did he mind that he hadn't even a meck upon him, and turned to jump off as the tram with a showd swung grinding down to the Harbour […].

    Statistics

    *