# let alone

Pronunciation: say "let uh-LOHN" US /ˌlɛt əˈloʊn/, UK /ˌlɛt əˈləʊn/

## Idiom

1. Much less: used after a negative statement to bring in a usually bigger or more important case, which the first statement already rules out.
   - Simple: Used after saying that something is not true or possible, to add something even less likely.
   - _Most of us can't afford a car, let alone a house in the city._
   - _The committee could not agree on a date for the meeting, let alone settle the budget._

## Idiom

2. To leave someone or something alone and stop bothering or interfering with them.
   - Simple: To stop bothering someone and leave them in peace.
   - _Hikers are told to let bear cubs alone, however harmless they look._
   - _The reporters refused to let the grieving family alone._

## Idiom

3. Not to mention: used after one item, usually in a positive statement, to add a further item that the first already implies. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Used to add a second thing that must also be true if the first thing is true.
   - _Within five years, let alone twenty, this neighborhood will look completely different._
   - _A single storm, let alone a whole winter of them, will wash that path away._

## Idiom

4. To rely on a person to do or manage something. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To trust someone to take care of something.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/let-alone (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).