at1

preposition

• 1expressing location or arrival in a particular place or position:they live at Conway House she was constantly at the telex machine they stopped at a small trattoria
• used in speech to indicate the sign @ in e-mail addresses, separating the address holder’s name from their location.

• 2expressing the time when an event takes place:the children go to bed at nine o’clock his death came at a time when the movement was split
• [without adjective] denoting a particular period of time:the sea is cooler at night
• [without adjective] denoting the time spent by someone attending an educational institution, a workplace, or their home:we all need to get involved in fighting crime whether it’s at work, at home, or at school

• 3denoting a particular point or segment on a scale:prices start at $18,500 driving at 50 mph
• referring to someone’s age:at fourteen he began to work as a mailman

• 4expressing a particular state or condition:placed them at a serious disadvantage the coroner accepted that the machines were at fault
• expressing a relationship between an individual and a skill:boxing was the only sport I was any good at he is poor at giving instructions

• 5expressing the object of a look, gesture, thought, action, or plan:I looked at my watch Leslie pointed at him
• expressing the target of a shot from a weapon:they tore down the main street, firing at anyone in sight
• emphasizing the directing of an action toward a specified object:she clutched at the thin gown he hit at her face with the gun

• 6expressing the means by which something is done:holding a corrections officer at knifepoint figurativeher pride had taken a beating at his hands