at

1
[ at; unstressed uht, it ]
See synonyms for at on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. (used to indicate presence or location): at home;at hand.

  2. (used to indicate amount, degree, or rate): at great speed;at high altitudes.

  3. (used to indicate a direction, goal, or objective); toward: Aim at the mark.Look at that.

  4. (used to indicate occupation or involvement): at work;at play.

  5. (used to indicate a state or condition): at ease;at peace.

  6. (used to indicate a cause or source): She was annoyed at his stupidity.

  7. (used to indicate a method or manner): He spoke at length.

  8. (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 at-ed;@ing or at-ing.
  1. (on social media)

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • 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 about at

  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.

Origin of at

1
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-

Words Nearby at

Other definitions for at (2 of 9)

at2

or att

[ aht, at ]

noun,plural at or ats.
  1. a money of account of Laos, one 100th of a kip.

Origin of at

2
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

Other definitions for At (3 of 9)

At1

abbreviation

Other definitions for At (4 of 9)

At2

Symbol, Chemistry.
  1. astatine.

Other definitions for AT (5 of 9)

AT

abbreviation
  1. achievement test.

Other definitions for aT (6 of 9)

aT

abbreviation
  1. attotesla.

Other definitions for at- (7 of 9)

at-

  1. variant of ad- before t: attend.

Other definitions for at. (8 of 9)

at.

abbreviation
  1. atmosphere.

  2. atomic.

  1. attorney.

Other definitions for A.T. (9 of 9)

A.T.

abbreviation
  1. Atlantic time.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use at in a sentence

  • Tressan was monstrous ill-at-ease, and his face lost a good deal of its habitual plethora of colour.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • A fellow rudely clad—a hybrid between man-at-arms and lackey—lounged on a musket to confront them in the gateway.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • And the Seneschal, moved by that confident promise of evil, threw himself before the men-at-arms.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • On the first day, a thousand English archers, supported by men-at-arms, attempted to draw the Scots.

    King Robert the Bruce | A. F. Murison
  • Belhaven made his escape to his own country, and was there beyond the reach of the Serjeant-at-Arms.

British Dictionary definitions for at (1 of 6)

at1

/ (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

  1. used to indicate position in time: come at three o'clock

  2. engaged in; in a state of (being): children at play; stand at ease; he is at his most charming today

  3. (in expressions concerned with habitual activity) during the passing of (esp in the phrase at night): he used to work at night

  4. for; in exchange for: it's selling at four pounds

  5. used to indicate the object of an emotion: angry at the driver; shocked at his behaviour

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

Origin of at

1
Old English æt; related to Old Norse at to, Latin ad to

British Dictionary definitions for at (2 of 6)

at2

/ (ɑːt, æt) /


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

Origin of at

2
from Thai

British Dictionary definitions for at (3 of 6)

at3

the internet domain name for
  1. Austria

British Dictionary definitions for At (4 of 6)

At

the chemical symbol for
  1. astatine

symbol for
  1. Also: A ampere-turn

British Dictionary definitions for AT (5 of 6)

AT

abbreviation for
  1. attainment target

British Dictionary definitions for at. (6 of 6)

at.

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

  2. atomic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for At

At

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.