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
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 Get on top of tomorrow tonight with some of my favorite sleep products that are all available at Amazon. Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 The rooms represent and are named after what people may need in their life at that time. Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 There are 23 different countries represented in the field, with the same number of golfers making their debut at the tournament. Jack Bantock, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 As for the 24-show Timeless tour, Trainor will stop at amphitheaters across America, along with LA’s Kia Forum and New York’s Madison Square Garden. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 Billboard reported at the time that the figure took nearly four months to complete. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 3 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 28 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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