let alone
The phrase "let alone" is commonly used to emphasize the improbability or impossibility of one thing by comparing it to another already unlikely or impossible thing.
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🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
B2General
(idiomatic, negative)Used to stress that something is even less likely or possible than another thing already mentioned.
Example
- She can't afford a car, let alone a house.
- He can't boil water, let alone cook a full meal.
C1General
(idiomatic, positive, rare)Used to introduce a further item that is entailed by the first.
Example
- He can barely walk, let alone run a marathon.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "let alone":