at
1 Americanpreposition
-
(used to indicate a point or place occupied in space); in, on, or near.
to stand at the door;
at the bottom of the barrel.
-
(used to indicate a location or position, as in time, on a scale, or in order).
at zero;
at noon;
at age 65;
at the end;
at the lowest point.
-
(used to indicate presence or location).
at home;
at hand.
-
(used to indicate amount, degree, or rate).
at great speed;
at high altitudes.
-
(used to indicate a direction, goal, or objective); toward.
Aim at the mark.
Look at that.
-
(used to indicate occupation or involvement).
at work;
at play.
-
(used to indicate a state or condition).
at ease;
at peace.
-
(used to indicate a cause or source).
She was annoyed at his stupidity.
-
(used to indicate a method or manner).
He spoke at length.
-
(used to indicate relative quality or value).
at one's best;
at cost.
noun
verb (used with object)
idioms
-
where it's at, the place where the most interesting or exciting things happen.
Emma says that Rome is definitely where it's at now.
-
be at (someone), to be sexually aggressive toward (a person).
She's pregnant again because he's at her morning, noon, and night.
noun
plural
at, atsabbreviation
abbreviation
abbreviation
-
atmosphere.
-
atomic.
-
attorney.
abbreviation
preposition
-
used to indicate location or position
are they at the table?
staying at a small hotel
-
towards; in the direction of
looking at television
throwing stones at windows
-
used to indicate position in time
come at three o'clock
-
engaged in; in a state of (being)
children at play
stand at ease
he is at his most charming today
-
(in expressions concerned with habitual activity) during the passing of (esp in the phrase at night )
he used to work at night
-
for; in exchange for
it's selling at four pounds
-
used to indicate the object of an emotion
angry at the driver
shocked at his behaviour
-
slang the real place of action
symbol
symbol
abbreviation
-
Also: atm. atmosphere (unit of pressure)
-
atomic
abbreviation
noun
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of at1
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English æt; cognate with Old Frisian et, Old Norse, Old Saxon, Gothic at, Old High German az, Latin, Old Welsh, Old Breton ad, Oscan ad-, Umbrian ař-, Old Irish, Gaulish, Phrygian ad-
Origin of at2
First recorded in 1950–55; from Lao; compare Thai ʔàt formerly, a copper coin worth one eighth of a füang, ultimately from Pali aṭṭha eight
Vocabulary lists containing at
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Public-health leaders have a responsibility to address the root causes of poor health, and affordability is at the top of that list.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
It isn’t the only paternal prediction that Bernstein’s life would make a mockery of, at least in his telling of it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Nike also said it would be streamlining work at its Air Manufacturing Innovation facilities in Beaverton, Ore., St. Louis and Vietnam, and relocating some manufacturing related to its Converse sneaker brand.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
The reason for that is resoundingly apparent in the documentary “Bernstein’s Wall,” opening at New York’s Film Forum this weekend, which focuses on both Bernstein’s political activism and politically canny sense of his public.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
She noticed Lucy at a Rock the Native Vote table talking to a woman with a stylized image of a muskrat on her T-shirt and some Cherokee syllabary.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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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.