at the least
16
2.4
- idiom
:
como mínimo
- We need to gather at the least ten volunteers for the event to go ahead.
- At the least, we could suggest
You know, like at the least he's at the yeah, I'm not seeing anyone ask about the overlap.
- You know, like at the least he's at the yeah, I'm not seeing anyone ask about the overlap.
- We have an ethical obligation to ensure that when public funds are spent, they're spent in ways that buy the maximum health at the least possible cost.
- I'm, I'm remaining cautiously optimistic that this is going to end up being at the least interesting and a new look maybe at this floor.
- Well, Wall Street believed at the very least, at least that the Chinese Party Congress would at least at the least lay the foundation for a strong next five years.
- That's the sweets part spot where you're at the least risk of having a life ending or a life destroying, life altering heart attack that you just ain't down for.
- But it's that red circle that Rachel mentioned that that is troublesome at at least at the at the least troublesome.
- And that if at the least, the first thing that we should do is try to find a healthier alternative than the things that we're doing.
- Like let's it at the least we can do is be entertained by the process because it may not be ever anything more than this.
Examples
-
You should study for at the least two hours each day if you want to improve your grades.
-
"We've been here half an hour, at the least."
Fiction book (1994) -
I tell him we shall stay here at the least a month.
-
Waiting for the water to run cold, he said, "We got several more days, at the least."
Fiction book (1995) -
I owe her that at the least.
-
You will write, or telephone at the least.
-
You must at the least bring Mr. Roedel some of the cake.
-
Inwardly, I still had my doubts, but the decision had been made that at the least I would give this a try.
Fiction book (2001) -
To happen, this event requires multiple contributing participants: at the least, an author, the text, various contexts, and a reader.
Academic text (2010) -
At the least, the discipline imposed by requiring this showing would force management to specify the metric.
Academic text (2016)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Not less than a certain amount or number
141
3.4
To say the thing just said is the least you should do
Says the smallest thing we can be sure of
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
at + the + least
The meaning 'no less than' is directly derivable from combining 'at' (indicating a point or level) with 'the least' (the smallest amount or degree); the phrase simply marks the minimum. This composition mirrors the common construction 'at least' and has clear parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts can understand it.
Etymology
At the least creates a simple picture: you are pointing at the smallest amount, the least. So at the least means 'no less than' or the minimum you should expect.