What does 'let down' mean?

What it means: To disappoint someone — to fail to meet their expectations or trust.

"He let me down when I needed him most."
"I feel let down by the whole experience."
"Don't let the team down."

As a noun — "a letdown": A disappointment. "The film was a real letdown." "What a letdown."

What it implies: There was a relationship of trust or expectation, and it wasn't met. "Let down" carries more emotional weight than just "disappointed" — it implies a betrayal of trust, however small. Someone let you down because you were depending on them.

Degree: Can range from mild ("the weather let us down") to serious ("she let me down when I really needed support").

• "Disappointed" — formal, general
• "Failed" — stronger
• "Let me down" — personal and emotional
• "Didn't come through" — American English

Register: Casual to professional. Very natural in personal contexts.

Tags: phrasal verbs, disappointment, trust, everyday English