at

1 of 7

preposition

ət,

ˈat 

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

ˈät 

variants or less commonly att

plural at also att

: a monetary subunit of the kip see kip at Money Table

at

3 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

4 of 7

abbreviation (1)

1

airtight

2

atmosphere

3

atomic

At

5 of 7

symbol

astatine

AT

6 of 7

abbreviation (2)

1

air temperature

2

ampere-turn

3

Appalachian Trail

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

athletic trainer

6

automatic transmission

at-

7 of 7

prefix

see ad-

Examples of at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

Mike Braun was the guest of honor Tuesday night at a reception in Carmel hosted by brothers Harry and Amarbir Ghoman, developers who founded the Ghoman Group. —Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Dec. 2024

But the Summits, clocking in at $65, stand out even among Skechers’s many sub-$100 pairs. —Sara Coughlin, SELF, 20 Dec. 2024

That included free-kick situations like the one the Broncos encountered at the end of the first half. —Nick Kosmider, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024

Around 12,000 years ago, the Neolithic Revolution began at the end of the last Ice Age. —Andres Garcia-Amaya, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

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

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

athletic trainer