at

1 of 7

preposition

ət,
ˈat How to pronounce at (audio)
1
used as a function word to indicate presence or occurrence in, on, or near
staying at a hotel
at a party
sick at heart
2
used as a function word to indicate the goal of an indicated or implied action or motion
aim at the target
creditors are at him again
3
used as a function word to indicate that with which one is occupied or employed
at work
at the controls
good at chess
4
used as a function word to indicate situation in an active or passive state or condition
at liberty
at rest
5
used as a function word to indicate the means, cause, or manner
sold at auction
laughed at my joke
act at your own discretion
6
a
used as a function word to indicate the rate, degree, or position in a scale or series
the temperature at 90
at first
b
used as a function word to indicate age or position in time
will retire at 65

at

2 of 7

noun

variants or less commonly att
plural at also att
: a monetary subunit of the kip see kip at Money Table

at

3 of 7

abbreviation (1)

1
airtight
2
atmosphere
3
atomic

at

4 of 7

verb

less common spelling of @ entry 2

transitive verb

informal
: to respond to, challenge, or disparage the claim or opinion of (someone)
usually used in the phrase don't @ me
It goes without saying that Lucille Ball's comedic timing is unmatched—don't @ me, you'll be wrong.Matt Brennan
I'll cut right to the chase: Men should be able to wear makeup, don't at me.Carine Green

At

5 of 7

symbol

astatine

AT

6 of 7

abbreviation (2)

1
air temperature
2
ampere-turn
3
4
usually A-T ataxia-telangiectasia
… joined the fight to find a cure for ataxia-telangiectasia, also known as A-T, a rare but deadly genetic disease that currently afflicts about 600 U.S. children, causing neurological deterioration and usually proving fatal by their 20s.Thomas Fields-Meyer
5
6
automatic transmission

at-

7 of 7

prefix

see ad-

Examples of at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
Join Meghan every other Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET, for a live chat to answer questions from parents trying to raise kids of any age. Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024 Donald and McVay spoke at length the day after the playoff loss. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024 The analysis predicted demand from AI will grow exponentially, increasing at least 10 times between 2023 and 2026. Laura Paddison, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024 Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said the ruling on Tuesday shows the U.S. government should drop the Espionage Act charges against Assange. Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024 Mostly clear at night, with a low of around 38. Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 26 Mar. 2024 The motion offers a preview of some of the factual and legal arguments that the defense is expected to raise at trial, in the event that the motion is denied. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 Thursday, the Sharks allowed third-period goals to John Ludvig and Rickard Rakell before Bryan Rust added an empty-netter in a 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Preposition

Middle English, from Old English æt; akin to Old High German az at, Latin ad

Noun

Lao

First Known Use

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of at was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near at

Cite this Entry

“At.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

at

1 of 2 preposition
ət,
(ˈ)at
1
used to indicate location in space or time
staying at a hotel
be here at six
sick at heart
2
used to indicate a goal that an action is aimed towards
aim at the target
laugh at him
3
used to indicate a condition one is in
at work
at liberty
at rest
4
used to indicate how or why
sold at auction
angry at his answer
5
used to indicate the rate, degree, age, or position in a scale or series
the temperature at 90
retire at 65

at-

2 of 2
see ad-

Medical Definition

at

1 of 3 abbreviation
airtight

At

2 of 3 symbol
astatine

AT

3 of 3 abbreviation
1
assistive technology
2
usually A-T ataxia-telangiectasia
3

More from Merriam-Webster on at

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