at
Language: English
Part of speech: prep
Pronunciation: enpr: ăt
ipa: /æt/
homophone: @
rhymes: -æt
ipa: /ət/
homophone: it stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd
Proto-Germanic *at
Old English æt
Middle English at
English at
From Middle English at, from Old English æt (“at, near, by, toward”), from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, near, to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“near, at”). Cognate with Scots at (“at”), North Frisian äät, äit, et, it (“at”), Danish at (“to”), Swedish åt (“for, toward”), Norwegian åt (“to”), Faroese at (“at, to, toward”), Icelandic að (“to, towards”), Gothic 𐌰𐍄 (at, “at”), Latin ad (“to, near”).
Senses: examples: text: Caesar was at Rome; a climate treaty was signed at Kyoto in 1997.
text: I was at Jim’s house at the corner of Fourth Street and Vine.
text: at the bottom of the page; sitting at the table; at church; at sea
text: Hirtius and Pansa, who were good men and admirers of Cicero, begged him not to desert them, and undertook to put down Antony if Cicero would remain at Rome.
ref: 1919, Plutarch, “The Life of Cicero” in Parallel Lives, 43 (Bernadotte Perrin, trans.)
text: (b) sporophyte with foot reduced, the entire sporophyte enveloped by the calyptra, which is ± stipitate at the base.
ref: 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 4:
text: Today my friend Marsha is at her friend’s house.
ref: 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
glosses: In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
examples: text: She's at Oxford University, studying chemistry.
glosses: In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
Attending (an educational institution).
examples: text: He used to be at Lehman Brothers. Now he's at Merrill Lynch.
text: "Where does he work?" — "I think he's still at the solicitors."
glosses: In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
Working for (a company) or in (a place or situation).
examples: text: Target at five miles. Prepare torpedoes.
text: Look out! UFO at two o'clock!
glosses: In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
Indicating distance or direction relative to the speaker.
examples: text: Was he at the meeting?
text: There was a big fight at the class reunion.
glosses: Present or taking place during (an event).
examples: text: at six o’clock; at dawn; at closing time; at the age of twelve; at night; at the moment
text: Lafayette was major-general in the American army at the age of 18 […]
ref: 1838, The Family Magazine:
text: Other global taboos, such as sex and suicide, manifest themselves widely online, with websites offering suicide guides and Hot XXX Action seconds away at the click of a button. The UK government will come under pressure to block access to pornographic websites this year when a committee of MPs publishes its report on protecting children online.
ref: 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian:
text: Hi, Anne. Are you busy? — Hi, Anna. Yes. At 10 a.m. I am writing.
ref: 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
glosses: Indicating time of occurrence, especially an instant of time, or a period of time relatively short in context or from the speaker’s perspective.
examples: text: balance as at 20th March 1999
ref: n.d., quoted in Longmans Business Dictionary
topics: business
finance
glosses: Indicating time of occurrence, especially an instant of time, or a period of time relatively short in context or from the speaker’s perspective.
(also as at; before dates) On (a particular date).
examples: text: Don’t just talk at someone; really listen to what they have to say.
text: Stones were thrown at us, but we coudn't see who did.
text: He shouted at her.
text: She pointed at the curious animal.
text: “My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly.
 Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan.
 “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”
ref: 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
text: Come on in. I’ll play the guitar at you.
ref: 2023 July 9, Barbie, spoken by Ken (Ryan Gosling):
glosses: In the direction of; towards; (often implied to be in a hostile or careless manner).
examples: text: Don't pick at your food!
text: My cat keeps scratching at the furniture.
text: I was working at the problem all day.
glosses: Indicating action bearing upon something, especially continued or repeated action.
examples: text: At my request, they agreed to move us to another hotel.
text: He jumped at the sudden noise.
text: We laughed at the joke.
text: She was mad at their comments.
glosses: In response or reaction to.
examples: text: men at work; children at play
glosses: Occupied in (activity).
examples: text: The two countries are at war.
text: She is at sixes and sevens with him.
text: They are at loggerheads over how best to tackle the fiscal cliff.
glosses: In a state of.
examples: text: We hope that the event will go ahead, but we are at the whim of the weather.
text: The city was at the mercy of the occupying forces.
glosses: Subject to.
examples: text: 3 apples at 2¢ (each)
text: The offer was at $30,000 before negotiations.
glosses: Denotes a price.
examples: text: Sell at $90.
text: Tiger finished the round at tenth, seven strokes behind the leaders.
text: I’m offering it—just to select customers—at cost.
text: The river is at its highest in spring.
text: These babies weigh in at ten tons apiece.
text: at best; at most; at worst; at least
glosses: Indicates a position on a scale or in a series.
examples: text: The car came towards me at speed.
text: He spoke at great length on the topic.
text: The winner will be chosen at random.
text: A few days later, on 1 October, King Hussein opened the Jordanian Parliament by speaking at length about the crisis in Syria,
ref: 2012, Sami Moubayed, Syria and the USA: Washington's Relations with Damascus, →ISBN:
glosses: In certain phrases, used to indicate the manner in which something happens or is done.
examples: text: We were cruising along at well over the speed limit of fifty miles per hour.
text: It is growing at the rate of 3% a year.
glosses: Indicates a specific speed or rate that is maintained by something.
examples: text: "How was the painting sold?" — "At auction."
text: […] to be sold at auction for sixty gold francs.
ref: 1995, Richard Klein, Cigarettes are Sublime, →ISBN, page 41:
glosses: Indicates a means or method.
examples: text: The twins were both bad at chemistry.
text: He slipped at marksmanship over his extended vacation.
text: She’s good at playing musical instruments, singing and dancing, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
ref: 2015, Sanyan Stories: Favorites from a Ming Dynasty Collection, →ISBN, page 157:
glosses: On the subject of; regarding.
raw_tags: used for skills (including in activities) or areas of knowledge
examples: text: I think ‘Jesus, my back is at me’. Then I get the ball. Off you go for 10 yards and you don’t feel a thing. Then you stop and think: ‘Jesus, it’s at me again’[.]
ref: 1995 Keith Wood, quoted in David Hughes, "Wood odds-on to take one against the head", in The Independent (London) 18 January
text: He seems to be saying. “Ah, go on, you’re making the other lads feel bad.” But the 4th fella says, “No. Don’t be ‘at’ me. I’m just not in the form right now, I’ll stay where I am, thanks.”
ref: 2014 Marian Keyes "Antarctic Diary - Part 2" personal website (January 2014)
qualifier: stressed pronunciation
glosses: Bothering, irritating, causing discomfort to
glosses: Also used in various other idiomatic combinations: at a pinch, at all, at fault, at pains, at risk, at that, etc.; see the individual entries.
Derived terms: at bank
atmark
atone
atonement
Atwater
eat away at
hereat
thereat
whereat
where it's at