at

¹

[ at; unstressed uht, it ]

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.

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 or ateding or ating

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!

At

²

abbreviation for

1. ampere-turn.

at

³

or att

[ aht, at ]

noun

plural at or ats.

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

At

⁴

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. astatine.

AT

⁵

abbreviation for

1. achievement test.
2. antitank.

aT

⁶

abbreviation for

1. attotesla.

at-

⁷

1. variant of ad- before t: attend.

at.

⁸

abbreviation for

1. atmosphere.
2. atomic.
3. attorney.

A.T.

⁹

abbreviation for

1. Atlantic time.

At

¹

the chemical symbol for

1. astatine

symbol for

1. AlsoA ampere-turn

AT

²

abbreviation for

1. attainment target

at.

³

abbreviation for

1. Alsoatm atmosphere (unit of pressure)
2. atomic

at

⁴

/ 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)

   stand at ease

   children at play

   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. where it's at slang.
   the real place of action

at

⁵

/ ɑːt; æt /

noun

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

at

⁶

the internet domain name for

1. Austria

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of at¹

Old English æt; related to Old Norse at to, Latin ad to

Origin of at²

from Thai

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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

2. where it's at, Informal. the place where the most interesting or exciting things happen:

   Emma says that Rome is definitely where it's at now.

Example Sentences

Yet in the past 12 years, at least 467 species have gone extinct, with most of these creatures — including a type of rodent called the melomy and a Hawaiian tree snail called Achatinella apexfulva — quietly disappearing and utterly unknown to the vast majority of humans.

From Salon

When we see "polar bears on melting glaciers, we have an empathetic response," said Susan Clayton, a conservation psychologist at the College of Wooster.

From Salon

“We are animals too, and as mammals with a certain biology, we are drawn to certain other species that have shared biological traits,” said Diogo Verissimo, a research fellow at the Environmental Change Institute.

From Salon

“Fear-type campaigns that appeal to things like guilt have been used frequently,” said Laura Thomas-Walters, deputy director of experimental research at the Yale University program on Climate Change Communication.

From Salon

“But they can also lead to disengagement. It can make people want to deny the problem or not look at the campaign, or question whether the messenger is trustworthy at all.”

From Salon