LEST Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

View synonyms for

lest

[ lest ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

conjunction

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.
that (used after words expressing fear, danger, etc.):
There was danger lest the plan become known.

lest

/ ��ɛ�� /

conjunction

so as to prevent any possibility that
he fled the country lest he be captured and imprisoned
after verbs or phrases expressing fear, worry, anxiety, etc for fear that; in case
he was alarmed lest she should find out

Discover More

�y��vlog 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 ��ǣ��te, earlier �ٳ��̄ ��ǣ�� the, literally, “whereby less that” ( �ٳ��̄ instrumental case of the demonstrative and relative pronoun, ��ǣ�� less, the conjunction)

Discover More

�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of lest¹

Old English the ��ǣ��te, earlier thӯ ��ǣ�� the, literally: whereby less that

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

lest we forget. lest we forget.

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The Supreme Court has been clear that where death is a possible punishment, government officials must exercise the utmost care lest anyone be treated unfairly or prosecuted to satisfy political imperatives.

From

And yet, what should be a relatively simple experience has turned into a weekly game of “Frogger” — or, perhaps, “Dogger” — where civilians are forced to look out for a pooch in their path, lest they incur the wrath of the yuppie elite.

From

Lest you think Chelsea Handler, at 50, is slowing down, on Tuesday she releases her third Netflix comedy special, ‘The Feeling,’ which overlaps thematically with her recently published seventh book, ‘I’ll Have What She’s Having.’

From

Lest you think Handler is slowing down, on Tuesday she releases her third Netflix comedy special, “The Feeling,” which overlaps thematically with “I’ll Have What She’s Having.”

From

She even recorded a video of herself getting extensive dental cosmetics, lest anyone mistake her blazing white teeth for the real thing.

From

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

Browse