Etymology From Middle English at, from Old English æt (“at, near, by, toward”), from Proto-West Germanic *at, from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, near, to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“near, at”). Cognate with Scots at (“at”), North Frisian äät, äit, et, it (“at”), Danish at (“to”), Swedish åt (“for, toward”), Norwegian åt (“to”), Faroese at (“at, to, toward”), Icelandic að (“to, towards”), Gothic 𐌰𐍄 (at, “at”), Latin ad (“to, near”).
In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place).
Caesar was at Rome.
A climate treaty was signed at Kyoto in 1997.
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I was at Jim’s house at the corner of Fourth Street and Vine.
at the bottom of the page; sitting at the table; at church; at sea
Hirtius and Pansa, who were good men and admirers of Cicero, begged him not to desert them, and undertook to put down Antony if Cicero would remain at Rome.1919, Plutarch, “The Life of Cicero” in Parallel Lives, 43 (Bernadotte Perrin, trans.)
(b) sporophyte with foot reduced, the entire sporophyte enveloped by the calyptra, which is ± stipitate at the base.1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 4:
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Attending (an educational institution).
She's at Oxford University, studying chemistry.
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Working for (a company) or in (a place or situation).
He used to be at Lehman Brothers. Now he's at Merrill Lynch.
'Where does he work?' — 'I think he's still at the solicitors.'
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Indicating distance or direction relative to the speaker.
Target at five miles. Prepare torpedoes.
Look out! UFO at two o'clock!
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Present or taking place during (an event).
Was he at the meeting?
There was a big fight at the class reunion.
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Indicating time of occurrence, especially an instant of time, or a period of time relatively short in context or from the speaker’s perspective.
at six o’clock; at dawn; at closing time; at the age of twelve; at night; at the moment
Lafayette was major-general in the American army at the age of 18 […]1838, The Family Magazine:
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Other global taboos, such as sex and suicide, manifest themselves widely online, with websites offering suicide guides and Hot XXX Action seconds away at the click of a button. The UK government will come under pressure to block access to pornographic websites this year when a committee of MPs publishes its report on protecting children online.2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian:
Hi, Anne. Are you busy? — Hi, Anna. Yes. At 10 a.m. I am writing.2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
At 21, I moved to New York City to pursue acting.2026 April 22, Jillian Sanders, “The Danger of Surrendering Your Financial Independence in a Relationship”, in TIME, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2026:
balance as at 20th March 1999n.d., quoted in Longmans Business Dictionary
at the date of the commencement of the proceedings before the judicial or administrative authority of the Contracting State where the child is1980 October 25, “Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction”, in Hague Conference on Private International Law:
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In the direction of; towards; (often implied to be in a hostile or careless manner).
Don’t just talk at someone; really listen to what they have to say.
Stones were thrown at us, but we couldn't see who did.
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He shouted at her.
She pointed at the curious animal.
“My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
Come on in. I’ll play the guitar at you.2023 July 9, Barbie, spoken by Ken (Ryan Gosling):
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Indicating action bearing upon something, especially continued or repeated action.
Don't pick at your food!
My cat keeps scratching at the furniture.
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I was working at the problem all day.
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In response or reaction to.
At my request, they agreed to move us to another hotel.
He jumped at the sudden noise.
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We laughed at the joke.
She was mad at their comments.
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Occupied in (activity).
men at work; children at play
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In a state of.
The two countries are at war.
She is at sixes and sevens with him.
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They are at loggerheads over how best to tackle the fiscal cliff.
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Subject to.
We hope that the event will go ahead, but we are at the whim of the weather.
The city was at the mercy of the occupying forces.
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Denotes a price.
3 apples at 2¢ (each)
The offer was at $30,000 before negotiations.
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At $40 to $50, a basic blood pressure cuff is a lot more affordable than a smartwatch.2026, Ginny Graves, “The Most Important Health Metric You're Not Tracking”, in Men's Health, volume 41, number 2, page 19:
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Indicates a position on a scale or in a series.
Sell at $90.
Tiger finished the round at tenth, seven strokes behind the leaders.
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I’m offering it—just to select customers—at cost.
The river is at its highest in spring.
These babies weigh in at ten tons apiece.
at best; at most; at worst; at least
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In certain phrases, used to indicate the manner in which something happens or is done.
The car came towards me at speed.
He spoke at great length on the topic.
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The winner will be chosen at random.
A few days later, on 1 October, King Hussein opened the Jordanian Parliament by speaking at length about the crisis in Syria,2012, Sami Moubayed, Syria and the USA: Washington's Relations with Damascus, →ISBN:
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Indicates a specific speed or rate that is maintained by something.
We were cruising along at well over the speed limit of fifty miles per hour.
It is growing at the rate of 3% a year.
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Indicates a means or method.
'How was the painting sold?' — 'At auction.'
[…] to be sold at auction for sixty gold francs.1995, Richard Klein, Cigarettes are Sublime, →ISBN, page 41:
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On the subject of; regarding.
Used for skills (including in activities) or areas of knowledge
The twins were both bad at chemistry.
He slipped at marksmanship over his extended holiday.
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She’s good at playing musical instruments, singing and dancing, chess, calligraphy, and painting.2015, Sanyan Stories: Favorites from a Ming Dynasty Collection, →ISBN, page 157:
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Ireland Bothering, irritating, causing discomfort to
Stressed pronunciation
I think ‘Jesus, my back is at me’. Then I get the ball. Off you go for 10 yards and you don’t feel a thing. Then you stop and think: ‘Jesus, it’s at me again’[.]1995 Keith Wood, quoted in David Hughes, "Wood odds-on to take one against the head", in The Independent (London) 18 January
He seems to be saying. “Ah, go on, you’re making the other lads feel bad.” But the 4th fella says, “No. Don’t be ‘at’ me. I’m just not in the form right now, I’ll stay where I am, thanks.”2014 Marian Keyes "Antarctic Diary - Part 2" personal website (January 2014)
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Also used in various other idiomatic combinations: at a pinch, at all, at fault, at pains, at risk, at that, etc.; see the individual entries.
Etymology From Middle English at, from Old English æt (“at, near, by, toward”), from Proto-West Germanic *at, from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, near, to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“near, at”). Cognate with Scots at (“at”), North Frisian äät, äit, et, it (“at”), Danish at (“to”), Swedish åt (“for, toward”), Norwegian åt (“to”), Faroese at (“at, to, toward”), Icelandic að (“to, towards”), Gothic 𐌰𐍄 (at, “at”), Latin ad (“to, near”).
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Informal, Neologism, Rare Rare form of @; to reply to or talk to someone, either online or face-to-face. (from the practice of targeting a message or reply to someone online by writing @name)
If you have questions or observations on my discussion questions, feel free to reply to this email, at me on Twitter, or comment on the companion post on AMV.2022, William Morris, Motley Vision:
Abbreviation, Initialism Initialism of activity theory.
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Business, Law Ukrainian initialism of акціонерне товариство (akcionerne tovarystvo, “JSC”)
at
noun
Etymology From Middle English at, from Old English æt (“at, near, by, toward”), from Proto-West Germanic *at, from Proto-Germanic *at (“at, near, to”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“near, at”). Cognate with Scots at (“at”), North Frisian äät, äit, et, it (“at”), Danish at (“to”), Swedish åt (“for, toward”), Norwegian åt (“to”), Faroese at (“at, to, toward”), Icelandic að (“to, towards”), Gothic 𐌰𐍄 (at, “at”), Latin ad (“to, near”).