let someone have it

verb

To attack someone with great force.

“When I came home, he let me have it for wrecking the car.”

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Meanings

verblet someone have it (third-person singular simple present lets someone have it, present participle letting someone have it, simple past and past participle let someone have it)

present singular third person lets someone have it · participle present letting someone have it

  1. idiomaticTo attack someone with great force.

    At dawn we really let 'em have it with a 30 minute artillery barrage.

    1 more example

    […] purchased a heavy-duty, light-weight, stainless steel purse, complete with a flame throwers […] and a special attachment that let anyone stupid enough to make a derogatory remark about Gil's sexual persuasion have it right in the family jewels with a bronzed golf shoe.

    1976 August 14, Bill Russell, “Gil Hustle Comes Out”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 7, page 11
  2. idiomaticTo verbally assail someone.

    When I came home, he let me have it for wrecking the car.

  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let, have, it.

    When he showed me that he'd gotten the insurance certificate for our old car, I decided to let him have it.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
attackgive someone what forgo at it
Cite this entry
APA

let someone have it. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20someone%20have%20it

MLA

“let someone have it.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20someone%20have%20it. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “let someone have it,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20someone%20have%20it.

Source: let someone have it on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.