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

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

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

The gunman who opened fire at Ohio Walmart this week, injuring four people, may have been at least partly inspired by violent, racist ideology, the FBI said Wednesday. —Phil Helsel, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2023

Its predecessor, Pyongyang naengmyeon, has been enjoyed in Korea since at least the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). —Eric Kim, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2023

More Luggage Set Deals at Amazon: Coolife Luggage 3-piece Set Travel Select Amsterdam Expandable 4-piece Luggage Set Rockland Fashion Softside Upright 2-piece Luggage Set Amazon Basics 3-piece Set U.S. Traveler Rio Rugged Fabric Luggage Set At the time of publishing, the price started at $117. —Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 22 Nov. 2023

When Dierks Bentley’s band is looking for something to keep it occupied during long bus rides, the group has, at times, turned to artificial intelligence apps, asking them to create album reviews or cover art for the group’s alter ego, The Hot Country Knights. —Tom Roland, Billboard, 22 Nov. 2023

Authorities determined that that child had been dead for at least a week, and was placed in the trash stream at a facility on Martha’s Vineyard. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 11 Nov. 2023

The travel reimbursement policy is at the center of Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's continued blockade of military nominees. —Nicole Wetsman, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2023

This year’s Grammy noms are a refreshingly diverse look at the past year of music, with a huge number of female artists and racially and musically diverse nominees in the leading categories (see the full list of 2024 Grammy nominations here). —Jem Aswad, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023

Showrunner Spotlight Glen Mazzara, the veteran showrunner whose credits include The Shield and The Walking Dead, joins the show this week for a look at the MGM+ sci-fi drama Beacon 23. —Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Nov. 2023

Noun

Both were backup catchers, with Melvin’s playing career a bit more accomplished, having batted .233 in 10 years while never taking more than 301 at-bats in a season. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023

The violation against Rojas not only negated the play, but led to an automatic ball in an at-bat that instead ended in a walk. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2023

But Kyle Bradish and Jack Flaherty also dominated the first time through the order, only to have the Rays put up crooked numbers during their second at-bats. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 17 Sep. 2023

Events with similar odds include a baseball player with a .300 batting average has a similar chance of getting hits in six consecutive at-bats or a 90% free throw shooter in basketball hitting 65 consecutive free throws, Bailer says. —Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023

Garver, batting with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth, fouled off the first pitch of the at-bat from Toronto’s Kevin Gausman, then lined a ball towards the gap in left-center. —Evan Grant, Dallas News, 15 Sep. 2023

Read full article Betts was greeted by another standing ovation before his first at-bat Saturday. —Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2023

The 33-year-old switch-hitter has been a platoon player since, getting most of his at-bats against righthanders and starting games at all three outfield positions. —Peter Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023

Angels right fielder Luis Rengifo was removed from the Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians after sustaining what the team described as a left biceps strain before his first at-bat. —Sarah Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023

See More

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