least

[ leest ]

adjective

1. smallest in size, amount, degree, etc.; slightest:

   He gave the least amount of money of anyone.

2. lowest in consideration, position, or importance.

noun

1. something that is least; the least amount, quantity, degree, etc.
2. South Midland U.S. the youngest in a family or group.

adverb

1. to the smallest extent, amount, or degree:

   That's the least important question of all. He talks least.

least

/ liːst /

determiner

1. 1. the superlative of little

      you have the least talent of anyone

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as sing )

      least isn't necessarily worst

2. at least
   1. if nothing else

      you should at least try

   2. at the least
3. at the least or at least
   at the minimum

   at the least you should earn a hundred pounds

4. in the least
   usually used with a negative in the slightest degree; at all

   I don't mind in the least

adverb

1. the least
   superlative of little

   they travel the least of all

adjective

1. of very little importance or rank

Word History and Origins

Origin of least¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English leest(e), Old English lǣst, superlative of lǣssa; less

Word History and Origins

Origin of least¹

Old English lǣst, superlative of lǣssa less

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. at least, Also at the least.
   1. at the lowest estimate or figure:

      The repairs will cost at least $100.

   2. at any rate; in any case:

      You didn't get a good grade, but at least you passed the course.

2. not in the least, not in the smallest degree; not at all:

   I am not in the least concerned about the outcome of the World Series.

More idioms and phrases containing least

• at least
• in the least
• last but not least
• to say the least

Example Sentences

He would be the least legally qualified attorney general in more than a century, if not U.S. history.

From Los Angeles Times

He is widely considered among the least popular members of Congress.

From Los Angeles Times

Students wore “Make America Great Again” T-shirts and hats, toted at least two Trump cardboard cutouts and cheered loudly as a school security guard brandished a Trump banner.

From Los Angeles Times

‘But you didn’t apologize to her, at least according to folks that we’ve talked to.’

From Salon

All of his hiring decisions so far, including Monday’s news that former Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Tom Homan will serve as Trump’s border czar, and then his selection of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem—a proponent of Trump’s mass expulsion—as secretary of Homeland Security, signal that he actually intends to move forward with the insane idea to deport every single one of the at least 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

From Slate