See Also:

at(3) (iou)



at preposition.

I. Physical position.
Expr. exact, approximate, or vague spatial or local position (lit. or in fig. contexts). OE.
I. Barrow At a point given A, to make a right line AG. E. Hemingway I..found the major sitting at a table in the bare room. N. Balchin The young chimpanzee was sitting at the back of the cage. J. Cary She said no more except to utter a brief thanks when Joanna put her down at her door. S. Ullmann The dog's scraping at the door. R. Quirk I have often been at the receiving end of calls for help from this Unit. J. I. M. Stewart The cricket field at the centre of the scene. R. Williams At the very centre of a major area of modern thought and practice..is a concept 'culture'. A. Burnett At the start of the poem the speaker thinks he sees his dead wife brought to him; at the end only his 'night' is brought back.
b. With proper names of places, esp. of towns (exc. usu. those of public or private importance, cf. IN preposition) and small islands. OE.
Ld Macaulay The Parliament met at Edinburgh. Gerald Moore I was born at Watford, Hertfordshire, in 1899.
c. Expr. position or distance in relation to a point of orientation. E16.
Milton To save himself against a coward arm'd At one spear's length. H. Nelson The Corsican privateers kept at such a distance.
d. Used with cardinal points of the compass to indicate parts of the country or (Nautical) the quarter of the wind. US. M17.
Expr. some practical connection with a place (freq. with article omitted). OE.
Dickens What the parson at chapel says. L. Golding He would put up at the village pub. A. Sillitoe Winnie enquired: had he had a good time at the camp? H. Fast Thomas was at school in the East. B. Moore Eileen deserves better, her father was at the university. J. Mortimer Later she taught drawing in Manchester, at a Lycee in Versailles, and at a girls' school in Natal.
Expr. the place of occurrence of an event; assisting or present on the occasion of. OE.
Shakespeare Tempest When we were..at the marriage of your daughter. Steele He is at a Play. T. Pynchon Apt..to appear at a public function and begin a speech.
Defining the point or part, side or direction, where anything is or is applied. OE.
J. Weever The Seale..hanging at the parchment by a silke string. Addison Liberty with Monarchy at her right hand. L. Golding Whenever and wherever a farmer died.., his widow would find Johnnie Hummel at her ear. W. Trevor Your predecessor would suck at the butt of a cig.
Expr. the relation of an attribute to a particular place or part. OE.
Shakespeare Hamlet 'Tis bitter cold, And I am sick at heart. J. Thomson Withered at the root.
Defining the point where anything enters or issues; through, by. OE.
Thackeray He looked in at the dining-room window. A. Bridge The air blowing in at the car windows was chill with the approach of nightfall.
Specifying the source from which anything comes and where it is sought. obsolete exc. in at the mouth of, at the hands of. OE.
Bible (Coverdale): Judith 10:7 They axed no question at her, but let her go.
With verbs of motion: expr. attainment of a position or determining the point to which motion extends; as far as. OE.
arrive at, (arch.) come at, end at, land at, stop at, etc.
Governing a person:
a. In personal contact with; in the presence or company of; fig. in the eyes of, in the estimation of. ME-L18.
b. Ellipt.: (with the possess.) in the house of; (with the possess. or simply) in the shop etc. of. M16.
Steele We had Yesterday at Sir Roger's a Set of Country Gentlemen who dined with him. P. Scott The memsahib was at the hairdresser.
c. In active or aggressive contact with; applying to, pestering. E17.
Oxford English Dictionary The midges are at me again. J. Herriot She was at me again the next day and I had to rush out to her cottage.
In the direction of, towards; so as to reach or attack. LME.
Shakespeare 2 Henry VI Put forth thy hand, reach at the glorious gold. Addison The Parson is always preaching at the 'Squire. N. Hawthorne The spectator's imagination completes what the artist merely hints at. T. Dreiser He had unintentionally struck at her. M. de la Roche She peered up at him from under her shaggy red brows. S. Sassoon Earth and chalk heaved up at the blue sky. G. Steiner In method and scope I am aiming at something different from literary criticism. W. Styron Clothes like this have individuality...That's why it's fun when people stare at us. A. Gray He pressed his lips together and frowned at the coffee cup.
II. Action, engagement, occupation, condition, etc.
With things put for the activities of which they are the objects, centres, or instruments. OE.
barrister-at-law, serjeant-at-arms, etc.
S. Johnson He must be a great English lawyer, from having been so long at the bar. T. Hood And my right hand grows raging hot, Like Cranmer's at the stake. J. L. Motley His carpets..were disposed of at auction. Oxford English Dictionary To contest it at sword's point.
Connecting adjectives or nouns of occupation and proficiency with a thing or action. OE.
Thackeray I am not good at descriptions of female beauty. Ld Macaulay In agility and skill at his weapons he had few equals. G. B. Shaw I'm no good at making money.
With actions in or with which one is engaged, before nouns or after verbs expressing such action. ME.
Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona As she sits at supper. G. Crabbe I trace the matron at her loved employ. Oxford English Dictionary To work hard at clearing a path.
Of state or condition of existence, posture, conditioning circumstance, mutual relations, mode, manner, measure, extent, etc. ME.
Henry Fielding Pursue her at the hazard of his life. John Phillips Section at right angles to the axis. E. A. Freeman At all risks, at all sacrifices, to keep Normandy in full possession. B. Russell Civilians stood bare-headed and soldiers at the salute. J. Heller His round white cap was cocked at an insolent tilt.
Of relation to someone's will or disposition. ME.
at the mercy of: see MERCY noun.
Ld Berners To make your marchaundise at your pleasure. Ld Macaulay Their votes were at his disposal.
III. Of time, order, consequence, cause, object.
Of order. OE.
at first, at last, at length, etc.
Defining the time of an event, the time indicated by an event, or a person's age at the time of an event. ME.
Defoe Our men..gave them a shout at parting. Arnold Bennett At a quarter to seven he put his boots on. R. Fuller As on a silly marriage, he embarked / at sixty-five on a whole programme of moon / watching. H. Fast She would awaken at night in the darkness. J. Johnston I played a lot of tennis at your age.
Of nearness or distance in time, interval. ME.
M. Spark Sandy and Jenny got ink on their blouses at discreet intervals of four weeks. F. Forsyth At the end of two hours he had secured the name he was looking for.
Of the number of times, turns, or occasions. ME.
M. Hale May go far at one Essay to provide a fit law. Oxford English Dictionary To complete the business at two sittings.
Defining the occasion or event on which a fact or occasion ensues, and hence the occasioning circumstance or cause. ME.
E. Wharton Stooping to pick up the book he had dropped at Lily's approach. J. Steinbeck Tom touched his swollen face.., and at his movement Al groaned and murmured in his sleep.
Defining the occasion or cause (sometimes also the object) of an emotion. ME.
Milton I sorrow'd at his captive state. E. K. Kane Impatient at the delays. D. Topolski Weary disgust..at the self-satisfied imposition of an alien way of life and values on these people. J. Cheever I was cross at myself for having forgotten her birthday.
Defining the reason or consideration. LME-L16.
IV. Relative position in a series or scale; degree, rate, value.
Defining a special point in a series or scale. ME.
Bible (Coverdale): Ezekiel 9:6 Then they begane at the elders, which were in the Temple. G. O. Trevelyan He was rewarded by seeing Johnson at his very best. K. Vonnegut Graduating from Cornell Law School at the top of his class. E. Penning-Rowsell Some vineyards were practically wiped out at temperatures as low as 24 degrees C. J. Galway The whole might of the Berlin Philharmonic at full blast.
Of the rate or degree at which a thing is done. ME.
Pope If I am to go on at this rate. R. M. Pirsig The wind, even at sixty miles an hour, is warm and humid. B. Bainbridge He propelled her at a fast trot up the cobbled ramp.
Of price or value. ME.
at any cost: see COST noun2.
Shakespeare Hamlet If my love thou hold'st at aught. K. Vonnegut Published at twenty-five cents.
Of reference to a standard generally; according to. LME.
Ld Macaulay By land or water at their choice. L. P. Hartley They often reversed their roles, at the dictates of the penny.
V. With inf. (cf. Old Norse at).
Introducing the inf. of purpose. (See also ADO verb.) Long obsolete exc. dial. ME.
VI. Before other prepositions and adverbs.
Before prepositions LME-L16.
Before adverbs. Long obsolete exc. dial. LME.
Phrases: (For the many phrs. in which at governs a noun or forms an elem. in a phrasal verb, see the nouns and verbs.) where it's at slang the (true) scene of action, the (true) state of things.