"let nature take its course" meaning in English

See let nature take its course in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-let nature take its course.ogg Forms: lets nature take its course [present, singular, third-person], letting nature take its course [participle, present], let nature take its course [participle, past], let nature take its course [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|let<,,let> nature take its course}} let nature take its course (third-person singular simple present lets nature take its course, present participle letting nature take its course, simple past and past participle let nature take its course)
  1. (idiomatic) To permit events to proceed or a situation to develop without intervention or interference. Tags: idiomatic Translations (permit events to proceed without intervention): 順其自然 (Chinese Cantonese), 顺其自然 (seon⁶ kei⁴ zi⁶ jin⁴) (Chinese Cantonese), 順其自然 (Chinese Mandarin), 顺其自然 (shùnqízìrán) (Chinese Mandarin), antaa asioiden mennä luonnollista latuaan (Finnish), hagyja, hogy a természet tegye a dolgát (Hungarian), rábízza a természetre (Hungarian), la naturen gå sin gang (Norwegian Bokmål), su yolunu bulur (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-let_nature_take_its_course-en-verb-alD7fENL Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English imperative sentences, English terms with placeholder "it" Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 45 55 Disambiguation of English imperative sentences: 63 37 Disambiguation of English terms with placeholder "it": 59 41 Disambiguation of 'permit events to proceed without intervention': 74 26
  2. (idiomatic, euphemistic) To allow a person or animal to die without medical or other attempts to forestall death. Tags: euphemistic, idiomatic
    Sense id: en-let_nature_take_its_course-en-verb-9qEk8sec Categories (other): English euphemisms, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Cantonese translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations, Terms with Turkish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 45 55 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 35 65 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 39 61 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Cantonese translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 32 68 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations: 25 75 Disambiguation of Terms with Turkish translations: 24 76
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: stand aside, let nature take her course, let Nature take its course Related terms: benign neglect, let sleeping dogs lie

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lets nature take its course",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "letting nature take its course",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "let nature take its course",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "let nature take its course",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "let<,,let> nature take its course"
      },
      "expansion": "let nature take its course (third-person singular simple present lets nature take its course, present participle letting nature take its course, simple past and past participle let nature take its course)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "45 55",
      "word": "benign neglect"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "45 55",
      "word": "let sleeping dogs lie"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "63 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English imperative sentences",
          "parents": [
            "Imperative sentences",
            "Sentences"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "59 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with placeholder \"it\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1916, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 27, in Cappy Ricks:",
          "text": "\"Do you mean to put a secret-service operative aboard disguised as a deckhand?\"\n\"Huh! Skinner, you distress me. I'm going to put Matt Peasley aboard the Quickstep as second mate, and let Nature take its course.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1917, Ring Lardner, Sr., “The Water Cure”, in Gullible's Travels:",
          "text": "A boat trip to St. Joe! I and the Missus and the two love birds. And I'd see to it that the chaperons kept their distance and let Nature take its course.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To permit events to proceed or a situation to develop without intervention or interference."
      ],
      "id": "en-let_nature_take_its_course-en-verb-alD7fENL",
      "links": [
        [
          "permit",
          "permit"
        ],
        [
          "intervention",
          "intervention"
        ],
        [
          "interference",
          "interference"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To permit events to proceed or a situation to develop without intervention or interference."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "順其自然"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "seon⁶ kei⁴ zi⁶ jin⁴",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "顺其自然"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "順其自然"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "shùnqízìrán",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "顺其自然"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "antaa asioiden mennä luonnollista latuaan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "hagyja, hogy a természet tegye a dolgát"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "rábízza a természetre"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "la naturen gå sin gang"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "74 26",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
          "word": "su yolunu bulur"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English euphemisms",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "35 65",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "39 61",
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Cantonese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "32 68",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 75",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1984, Piers Anthony, On A Pale Horse, →ISBN, page 145:",
          "text": "I have slashed veins in my ankles and am pleasantly bleeding to death in this hot water. There is no greater kindness you can do me than to let nature take its course.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005 March 27, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, “If God died for all of us, it is not ours to decide who is fit to live”, in telegraph.co.uk, retrieved 2010-09-02:",
          "text": "Her life is not worth living, people say; see, she is dependent on others even for food and water; let nature take its course.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To allow a person or animal to die without medical or other attempts to forestall death."
      ],
      "id": "en-let_nature_take_its_course-en-verb-9qEk8sec",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, euphemistic) To allow a person or animal to die without medical or other attempts to forestall death."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "euphemistic",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-let nature take its course.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e0/En-au-let_nature_take_its_course.ogg/En-au-let_nature_take_its_course.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/En-au-let_nature_take_its_course.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "45 55",
      "word": "stand aside"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "45 55",
      "word": "let nature take her course"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "45 55",
      "word": "let Nature take its course"
    }
  ],
  "word": "let nature take its course"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English imperative sentences",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English terms with placeholder \"it\"",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Cantonese translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Turkish translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lets nature take its course",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "letting nature take its course",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "let nature take its course",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "let nature take its course",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "let<,,let> nature take its course"
      },
      "expansion": "let nature take its course (third-person singular simple present lets nature take its course, present participle letting nature take its course, simple past and past participle let nature take its course)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "benign neglect"
    },
    {
      "word": "let sleeping dogs lie"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1916, Peter B. Kyne, chapter 27, in Cappy Ricks:",
          "text": "\"Do you mean to put a secret-service operative aboard disguised as a deckhand?\"\n\"Huh! Skinner, you distress me. I'm going to put Matt Peasley aboard the Quickstep as second mate, and let Nature take its course.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1917, Ring Lardner, Sr., “The Water Cure”, in Gullible's Travels:",
          "text": "A boat trip to St. Joe! I and the Missus and the two love birds. And I'd see to it that the chaperons kept their distance and let Nature take its course.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To permit events to proceed or a situation to develop without intervention or interference."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "permit",
          "permit"
        ],
        [
          "intervention",
          "intervention"
        ],
        [
          "interference",
          "interference"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To permit events to proceed or a situation to develop without intervention or interference."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English euphemisms",
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1984, Piers Anthony, On A Pale Horse, →ISBN, page 145:",
          "text": "I have slashed veins in my ankles and am pleasantly bleeding to death in this hot water. There is no greater kindness you can do me than to let nature take its course.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005 March 27, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, “If God died for all of us, it is not ours to decide who is fit to live”, in telegraph.co.uk, retrieved 2010-09-02:",
          "text": "Her life is not worth living, people say; see, she is dependent on others even for food and water; let nature take its course.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To allow a person or animal to die without medical or other attempts to forestall death."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, euphemistic) To allow a person or animal to die without medical or other attempts to forestall death."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "euphemistic",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-let nature take its course.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e0/En-au-let_nature_take_its_course.ogg/En-au-let_nature_take_its_course.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/En-au-let_nature_take_its_course.ogg"
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  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "stand aside"
    },
    {
      "word": "let nature take her course"
    },
    {
      "word": "let Nature take its course"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "順其自然"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "seon⁶ kei⁴ zi⁶ jin⁴",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "顺其自然"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "順其自然"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "shùnqízìrán",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "顺其自然"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "antaa asioiden mennä luonnollista latuaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "hagyja, hogy a természet tegye a dolgát"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "rábízza a természetre"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "la naturen gå sin gang"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "permit events to proceed without intervention",
      "word": "su yolunu bulur"
    }
  ],
  "word": "let nature take its course"
}

Download raw JSONL data for let nature take its course meaning in English (4.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-11-21 using wiktextract (95d2be1 and 64224ec). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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