at

¹ American  

[at, uht, it] / æt, ət, ɪt /

preposition

1. (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.

2. (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.

3. (used to indicate presence or location).

   at home;

   at hand.

4. (used to indicate amount, degree, or rate).

   at great speed;

   at high altitudes.

5. (used to indicate a direction, goal, or objective); toward.

   Aim at the mark.

   Look at that.

6. (used to indicate occupation or involvement).

   at work;

   at play.

7. (used to indicate a state or condition).

   at ease;

   at peace.

8. (used to indicate a cause or source).

   She was annoyed at his stupidity.

9. (used to indicate a method or manner).

   He spoke at length.

10. (used to indicate relative quality or value).

    at one's best;

    at cost.

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noun

1. @, a symbol that is used in email addresses to link a username to a domain name, used at the beginning of Twitter handles, and in other identifying designations on the internet.

verb (used with object)

@ed, at-ed, @ing, at-ing

1. (on social media)

   1. to tag an account that begins with the symbol @, resulting in a link to that account’s profile and a notification to the user that their account has been explicitly mentioned in someone else’s post.

      One big celebrity at-ed the restaurant, and suddenly reservations were booked for the next six weeks.

   2. to include or involve someone, or to call a person out, especially when that person does not want to be involved or singled out.

      My opinions are my own, so please don’t at my employer about the stuff I write on this site.

   3. to argue with someone, or dispute someone’s stated views, especially on social media.

      The sequel was better than the original—don’t at me!

idioms

1. 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.

2. be at (someone), to be sexually aggressive toward (a person).

   She's pregnant again because he's at her morning, noon, and night.

at ² American  

[aht, at] / ɑt, æt /

Or att

noun

plural

at, ats

1. a money of account of Laos, one 100th of a kip.

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At ³ American  

abbreviation

1. ampere-turn.

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At ⁴ American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. astatine.

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AT ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. achievement test.

2. antitank.

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aT ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. attotesla.

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at- ⁷ American  

1. variant of ad- before t: attend.

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at. ⁸ American  

abbreviation

1. atmosphere.

2. atomic.

3. attorney.

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A.T. ⁹ American  

abbreviation

1. Atlantic time.

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at ¹ British  

/ æt /

preposition

1. used to indicate location or position

   are they at the table?

   staying at a small hotel

2. towards; in the direction of

   looking at television

   throwing stones at windows

3. used to indicate position in time

   come at three o'clock

4. engaged in; in a state of (being)

   children at play

   stand at ease

   he is at his most charming today

5. (in expressions concerned with habitual activity) during the passing of (esp in the phrase at night )

   he used to work at night

6. for; in exchange for

   it's selling at four pounds

7. used to indicate the object of an emotion

   angry at the driver

   shocked at his behaviour

8. slang the real place of action

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At ² British  

symbol

1. astatine

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symbol

1. Also: A.  ampere-turn

at. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Also: atm.  atmosphere (unit of pressure)

2. atomic

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AT ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. attainment target

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at ⁵ British  

/ ɑːt, æt /

noun

1. a Laotian monetary unit worth one hundredth of a kip

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at ⁶ British  

abbreviation

1. Austria

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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

Example Sentences

“I’ve always just had a positive attitude, no matter what happens. You just have to think and realize there’s always light at the other side, in some way, shape, or form.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

“L’Oreal has returned to form, delivering solid underlying growth,” analysts at RBC Capital Markets Wassachon Udomsilpa and James Edwardes Jones write in a note, adding that the strong performance trend is likely to continue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Fatone, 49, purchased the sprawling 10,000-square-foot Orlando dwelling for $2.65 million in August 2001, when he and his bandmates—Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick—were at the height of their fame.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

“The hit from the Iran conflict may turn out to be larger than we had been anticipating,” said Andrew Kenningham, chief European economist at Capital Economics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Holding the needle at arm’s length and squinting.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith