at
at — preposition
1. marks the specific point or place where someone or something is, where something
marks the specific point or place where someone or something is, where something happens, or where a person works or studies.
The keys are at the front desk beside the blue lamp.
at + exact place
Nina works at the city library near Central Station.
at + workplace
The class starts at the main gate after lunch.
at + meeting point
We met at the bus stop across from the bank.
- at the front desk
- at the library
- at school
- at the bus stop
Grammar Patterns
at + place
at + workplace or school
Usage Note
Often used for a point, event location, workplace, or school that English treats as a specific place. Compare with 'in' when the focus is being inside a larger area rather than at a point.
Common Mistakes
2. marks the exact time, age, or other precise moment when something happens.
marks the exact time, age, or other precise moment when something happens.
The store opens at 9:30 sharp on Saturday mornings.
at + clock time
Lena left home at noon to catch the train.
Owen started cooking dinner at age twelve for his family.
at + age
The bell rang at midnight during the winter festival.
- at 9:30
- at noon
- at age twelve
- at midnight
Grammar Patterns
at + clock time
at + age
Usage Note
Used for points in time such as hours, noon, midnight, and ages. Compare with 'on' for days and dates, and 'in' for months, years, and longer periods.
Common Mistakes
3. used before the person or thing that an action, look, or feeling is directed tow
used before the person or thing that an action, look, or feeling is directed toward.
The toddler laughed and waved at the clown.
verb + at + person
Rico threw the wet towel at the bathroom door.
The dog barked at the stranger by the gate.
Ravi stared at the painting for several minutes.
look at / stare at pattern
- wave at
- throw at
- bark at
- stare at
Grammar Patterns
verb + at + person or thing
Usage Note
Common after verbs such as look, stare, smile, wave, throw, bark, and shout. It shows the target of the action rather than a static place, unlike sense 1.
Common Mistakes
4. used after an adjective to name the thing that produces a feeling or reaction.
used after an adjective to name the thing that produces a feeling or reaction.
Ella was shocked at the price of the tiny cake.
adjective + at + cause of feeling
The coach grew angry at the team's lazy passing.
Grandma was delighted at the children's song after dinner.
Ben felt embarrassed at his name on the broken sign.
- shocked at
- angry at
- delighted at
- embarrassed at
Grammar Patterns
adjective + at + cause
Usage Note
Only used after adjectives or adjective-like expressions of feeling or reaction. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense gives the reason for the feeling, not the activity someone is skilled at.
Common Mistakes
5. used after an adjective to name the task, subject, or action someone is judged b
used after an adjective to name the task, subject, or action someone is judged by doing well, badly, quickly, or slowly.
Jin is good at fixing old bikes in the garage.
good at + activity
Marisol was quick at spotting mistakes on the map.
The new intern is bad at remembering long passwords.
bad at + activity
Ethan became better at speaking French after summer camp.
- good at
- bad at
- quick at
- better at
- in
appears in a few fixed expressions, but 'at' is the usual choice after good, bad, quick, and similar adjectives.
- with
can name a tool or material, not usually the activity being judged.
- skilled in
a more formal adjective phrase with a similar meaning.
Grammar Patterns
good at + activity
bad at + activity
Usage Note
Used with adjectives of skill, speed, or weakness, especially good, bad, quick, slow, and better. Distinguish from sense 4: this sense names the activity itself, not the cause of a feeling.
Common Mistakes
6. the @ sign in an email address, placed between the user name and the domain name
the @ sign in an email address, placed between the user name and the domain name.
Please send the form to [email protected] before Friday.
name + @ + domain
The address ends with @school.tw, not with @gmail.com.
Mr. Lin left out the @, so the parent email bounced back.
The help page shows where the @ goes in each email address.
the @ symbol in an address
- @gmail.com
- @school.tw
- email address
- user name
Grammar Patterns
name + @ + domain
Usage Note
This sense names the symbol itself. In ordinary sentences, 'at' is a preposition before a noun phrase, but here it refers to the written character inside an email address.
Common Mistakes
7. used before a number to show an exact price, temperature, speed, or other measur
used before a number to show an exact price, temperature, speed, or other measured level.
Tickets were selling at $25 each outside the school concert hall.
at + price
The bus was traveling at 80 kilometers an hour near Tainan.
at + speed
Keep the fresh fish at 2°C until the night market opens.
at + temperature
The guesthouse starts its double rooms at NT$3,200 a night.
- at $25 each
- at 2°C
- at 80 kilometers an hour
- at half price
- for
can replace 'at' with prices, but not usually with temperatures or speeds
- at a rate of
a fuller, more formal paraphrase for speeds and rates
Grammar Patterns
at + price
at + temperature
at + speed or rate
Usage Note
Usually comes directly before a figure that names a price, speed, temperature, or rate. Distinguish from sense 8, which is mainly for figures written in invoices, lists, and other records.
Common Mistakes
8. used in bills, price lists, and similar records to mark the amount charged for o
used in bills, price lists, and similar records to mark the amount charged for one item or one unit.
The invoice lists twelve lamps at NT$450 each for the cafe.
list item + at + unit price
On the order sheet, paper cups were entered at NT$2 each.
recorded figure in a list
The parts catalog shows spare wheels at $45 each this month.
In the budget file, taxi trips were counted at NT$300 a ride.
at + rate per unit
- listed at NT$450 each
- entered at NT$2 each
- shown at $45 each
- counted at NT$300 a ride
Grammar Patterns
item + at + amount each
item + at + rate per unit
Usage Note
Mostly appears in written records such as invoices, order sheets, and catalogs. Unlike sense 7, this sense links a listed item to its recorded unit price or rate.
Common Mistakes
9. used before a noun to show the state someone or something is in, or an activity
used before a noun to show the state someone or something is in, or an activity that is continuing.
After the ceasefire, the border towns were finally at peace again.
fixed phrase: at peace
By dawn, the rescue crew was already at work on the bridge.
fixed phrase: at work
The old wooden pier is at risk every typhoon season.
When the bell rang, the sixth-grade class was still at lunch.
at + activity noun
By noon, the rescue dogs were finally at rest in their cages.
fixed phrase: at rest
- at peace
- at work
- at risk
- at lunch
- at rest
- in a state of
a more formal paraphrase for condition phrases
- engaged in
fits the activity reading, especially with work or action
Grammar Patterns
at + state noun
at + activity noun
Usage Note
Common in fixed combinations such as 'at peace', 'at war', 'at risk', and 'at work'. Distinguish from sense 1: here the noun names a condition or activity, not simply a place.
Common Mistakes
at that
idiomUsed to add emphasis or an extra detail to what you just said.
Sara finished the project early, and with high quality at that.
Diego bought a vintage guitar, and a rare one at that.
be at it again
idiomTo be doing something again, often something annoying or bad.
The neighbor's dog is at it again, barking all night.
Maya checked her phone and saw the spam callers were at it again.
where it’s at
idiomThe place or activity that is currently most popular or exciting.
For live music fans, this new club is where it's at.
Aiden asked his friends which beach party was where it's at this summer.
at — verb
1. to jump into someone's post or comment online to argue against or mock what they
to jump into someone's post or comment online to argue against or mock what they said.
Three strangers atted Ben after he said pineapple belongs on pizza.
past form: atted + person
Don't at Ravi in the group chat over his book review.
fixed phrase: don't at + person
Fans ated Ken for his sneaker ranking all night in the comments.
at + person + for + opinion
Fans ated the singer online when he mocked their favorite team.
People will at Nina online if she calls the cup final boring.
- don't at me
- at someone online
- at someone in the comments
- at someone for a hot take
- reply to
neutral; does not itself suggest disagreement or mockery
- push back on
informal; stresses disagreement more than online tagging
- mock
stronger and more clearly insulting; does not require an online context
- agree with
to support the opinion instead of challenging it
- ignore
to leave the opinion unanswered
Grammar Patterns
(don't) at + person
at + person + for + opinion
Usage Note
Usually appears in internet slang, especially after a strong opinion in phrases like 'don't @ me' or 'don't at me'. The object is the person whose view you push back against, not the opinion itself.
Common Mistakes
at — noun
1. a small unit of Lao money, equal to one hundredth of a kip.
a small unit of Lao money, equal to one hundredth of a kip.
The museum card explains that 100 at were equal to one kip.
[number] at = one kip
On the old menu, green tea cost 40 at before tax.
price pattern: cost + [number] at
The receipt showed a tax of 12 at on the rice.
In history class, Mina learned 25 at once bought a bowl of soup.
A small coin in the case was marked 5 at.
be marked + [number] at
- 100 at
- 40 at
- 12 at
- 25 at
- monetary subunit
formal technical label for a smaller unit inside a currency system.
- currency unit
a broader term that can refer to either a main unit or a smaller one.
- cent
a rough equivalent in other currencies, not the Lao name itself.
Grammar Patterns
[number] at
100 at = 1 kip
Usage Note
Normally follows a number and appears in discussions of Lao money or older price lists. Distinguish from the preposition and symbol 'at': in this noun sense, it names a unit of value.
Common Mistakes
Synonym discussion
Sense: preposition/1
For the place sense, 'at' is the most useful choice when English treats a location as a point: a meeting spot, a desk, a station, a workplace, or a school. 'In' shifts the focus to being inside an area or container, while 'on' points to a surface or line. 'By' and 'near' only mean close, not exactly at the place itself. So 'We met at the bus stop' means that was the meeting point, but 'We waited near the bus stop' suggests a nearby place. Likewise, 'She is at school' names her institution or activity, while 'She is in the school' stresses that she is inside the building.
Etymology
The common preposition 'at' goes back to Old English 'aet', from an older Germanic word used for position, direction, and contact. Because it stayed short and frequent, it kept broad everyday jobs in English, especially for place, time, condition, and measured amounts. The email-symbol sense is a much later use of the same written form, and the internet slang verb grew from that symbol in online writing. The noun meaning a Lao money unit is a separate, unrelated word.