51Թ

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View synonyms for

lest

[ lest ]

conjunction

  1. for fear that; so that (one) should not (used negatively to introduce a clause expressive of an action or occurrence requiring caution):

    He kept his notes by his side lest faulty memory lead him astray.

  2. that (used after words expressing fear, danger, etc.):

    There was danger lest the plan become known.



lest

/ ɛ /

conjunction

  1. so as to prevent any possibility that

    he fled the country lest he be captured and imprisoned

  2. after verbs or phrases expressing fear, worry, anxiety, etc for fear that; in case

    he was alarmed lest she should find out

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of lest1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English leste, contraction of the lesse the, thi les the; late Old English the ǣte, earlier ٳ̄ ǣ the, literally, “whereby less that” ( ٳ̄ instrumental case of the demonstrative and relative pronoun, ǣ less, the conjunction)
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of lest1

Old English the ǣte, earlier thӯ ǣ the, literally: whereby less that
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Idioms and Phrases

  1. lest we forget. lest we forget.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And lest we forget that we live in conservative times, Fleur Fortuné tracks the arc of female bodily autonomy in "The Assessment" and finds that even under liberal rule, powers that be will still legislate uteruses as a solution to a global catastrophe.

From

Few are willing to be the one seen questioning the infinite wisdom of Dear Leader, lest they draw his ire and be singled out for punishment.

From

But this may be the result of the warning we were issued prior to our pre-release viewing of Christopher Landon's thriller instructing us to leave our phones locked, lest Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions come for our heads.

From

It's actually a painted veneer, presumably because there was not a piece of foil large enough, lest a run on crinkly silver lead to stale sarnies.

From

Not that many of them will engage with the actual allegations against Brand, lest their view of him as a godly man get disturbed, but frankly, the details are shocking even in the #MeToo era.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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