at

The word “at” means indicating a specific location or place. In plain terms, one of English's core small words, used to pin down a place, time, direction, or rate.

“At” is pronounced at (/æt/ in IPA).

Here is “at” used in a sentence: “We met at the coffee shop on the corner.”

Depending on how it is used, “at” can be a preposition and a noun.

The word “at” comes from Old English. From Old English æt ("at, near, by"), from Proto-Germanic *at, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "near.".

“At” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“At” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: indicating a specific location or place.

Use "at" for a specific point ("at the bus stop," "at the door"), "in" for an enclosed space or larger area ("in the kitchen," "in London"), and "on" for a surface ("on the table," "on the wall"). "At" is also standard for full addresses and for events: "at 12 Oak Street," "at the party."

"At" marks a precise point in time: clock times ("at six o'clock"), exact moments ("at noon," "at midnight"), and fixed expressions such as "at night" and, in British English, "at the weekend." For days use "on" ("on Monday"), and for longer periods use "in" ("in July," "in the summer").

In standard written English the "at" is unnecessary, because "where" already asks about place: "Where are you?" says everything needed. "Where are you at?" is common in informal speech, and ending a sentence with a preposition is not itself an error, but the shorter form is the safer choice in formal writing.