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
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 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

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 3 Dec. 2023.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!