Phrase guide

at least

prep_phrase · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

At a minimum or lower limit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: focus

Examples

  • I couldn't count them all, but I think there must have been at least 500 people in attendance.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

prep_phrase

Meaning 2

In any event; anyway.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

not less than

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • at least two hours studying the manual
  • a tumor at least as big as an orange

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: at the least

Antonyms: at most

4

adverb

Meaning 4

if nothing else (`leastwise' is informal and `leastways' is colloquial)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • at least he survived
  • they felt--at any rate Jim felt--relieved though still wary
  • the influence of economists--or at any rate of economics--is far-reaching

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: leastways, leastwise, at any rate

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English at leste, from Old English æt lǣstan.

Across languages

Translations

187 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عَلَى اَلْأَقَلّ (ʕalā l-ʔaqall) — at a lower limit
  • Arabic: على الأقل (ʕala l-ʔagall) — at a lower limit
  • Armenian: առնվազն (aṙnvazn) — at a lower limit
  • Armenian: գոնե (gone) — at a lower limit
  • Bashkir: кәмендә (kəmendə) — at a lower limit
  • Bashkir: иң кәмендә (iñ kəmendə) — at a lower limit
  • Basque: gutxienez — at a lower limit
  • Belarusian: прына́мсі (prynámsi) — at a lower limit
  • Bulgarian: поне́ (poné) — at a lower limit
  • Bulgarian: най-ма́лко (naj-málko) — at a lower limit
  • Catalan: almenys — at a lower limit
  • Catalan: pel cap baix — at a lower limit
  • Chinese Cantonese: 至少 (zi3 siu2) — at a lower limit
  • Chinese Cantonese: 起碼 /起码 (hei2 maa5) — at a lower limit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 至少 (zhìshǎo) — at a lower limit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頂少 /顶少 (dǐngshǎo) — at a lower limit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 起碼 /起码 (qǐmǎ) — at a lower limit
  • Wu Chinese: 至少 (5tsy-sau) — at a lower limit
  • Wu Chinese: 起碼 /起码 (5chi-mo) — at a lower limit
  • Czech: alespoň — at a lower limit
  • Czech: přinejmenším — at a lower limit
  • Czech: nejméně — at a lower limit
  • Czech: při nejmenším — at a lower limit
  • Czech: aspoň — at a lower limit
  • Danish: mindst — at a lower limit
  • Dutch: minstens — at a lower limit
  • Dutch: tenminste — at a lower limit
  • Dutch: althans — at a lower limit
  • Dutch: op zijn minst — at a lower limit
  • Esperanto: minimume — at a lower limit
  • Esperanto: almenaŭ — at a lower limit
  • Estonian: vähemalt — at a lower limit
  • Finnish: ainakin — at a lower limit
  • Finnish: vähintään — at a lower limit
  • French: au moins — at a lower limit
  • French: au minimum — at a lower limit
  • West-Frisian: alteast — at a lower limit
  • Galician: polo menos — at a lower limit
  • Galician: como mínimo — at a lower limit
  • Galician: ao menos — at a lower limit
  • Georgian: როგორც მინიმუმ — at a lower limit
  • Georgian: მინიმუმ (minimum) — at a lower limit
  • Georgian: სულ მცირე (sul mcire) — at a lower limit
  • Georgian: სულ ცოტა (sul coṭa) — at a lower limit
  • Georgian: მაინც (mainc) — at a lower limit
  • Georgian: სხვა თუ არაფერი (sxva tu araperi) — at a lower limit
  • Georgian: არანაკლებ (aranaḳleb) — at a lower limit
  • Georgian: არაუმცირეს (araumcires) — at a lower limit
  • German: mindestens — at a lower limit
  • German: zumindest — at a lower limit
  • German: wenigstens — at a lower limit
  • German: mindeschtes — at a lower limit
  • Greek: τουλάχιστον (touláchiston) — at a lower limit
  • Hebrew: לפחות (lefaxot) — at a lower limit
  • Hebrew: לכל הפחות (lekhol hapakhot) — at a lower limit
  • Hindi: कम से कम (kam se kam) — at a lower limit
  • Hungarian: legalább — at a lower limit
  • Hungarian: minimum — at a lower limit
  • Icelandic: að minnsta kosti — at a lower limit
  • Ido: adminime — at a lower limit
  • Indonesian: minimal — at a lower limit
  • Indonesian: setidaknya — at a lower limit
  • Ingrian: ainaki — at a lower limit
  • Interlingua: al minus — at a lower limit
  • Irish: ar a laghad — at a lower limit
  • Italian: almeno — at a lower limit
  • Italian: per lo meno — at a lower limit
  • Japanese: せめて (semete) — at a lower limit
  • Japanese: 少なくとも (sukunakutomo) — at a lower limit
  • Korean: 적어도 (jeogeodo) — at a lower limit
  • Korean: 최소한 (choesohan) — at a lower limit
  • Latin: saltem — at a lower limit
  • Latvian: vismaz — at a lower limit
  • Macedonian: барем (barem) — at a lower limit
  • Macedonian: најмалку (najmalku) — at a lower limit
  • Malayalam: എങ്കിലും (eṅkiluṁ) — at a lower limit
  • Marathi: कमीत कमी (kamīt kamī) — at a lower limit
  • Marathi: निदान (nidān) — at a lower limit
  • Meänkieli: vähhiinthääns — at a lower limit
  • Norwegian Bokmål: minst — at a lower limit
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: minst — at a lower limit
  • Occitan: almens — at a lower limit
  • Old English: hūru — at a lower limit
  • Persian: اقلًا (aqalan) — at a lower limit
  • Persian: حداقل (hadd-e aqall) — at a lower limit
  • Persian: دستکم (dast-e kam) — at a lower limit
  • Polish: co najmniej — at a lower limit
  • Polish: przynajmniej — at a lower limit
  • Polish: chociaż — at a lower limit
  • Polish: bodaj — at a lower limit
  • Portuguese: ao menos — at a lower limit
  • Portuguese: pelo menos — at a lower limit
  • Portuguese: no mínimo — at a lower limit
  • Portuguese: sequer — at a lower limit
  • Romanian: cel puțin — at a lower limit
  • Romanian: măcar — at a lower limit
  • Russian: по ме́ньшей ме́ре (po ménʹšej mére) — at a lower limit
  • Russian: по кра́йней ме́ре (po krájnej mére) — at a lower limit
  • Russian: хотя́ бы (xotjá by) — at a lower limit
  • Russian: как ми́нимум (kak mínimum) — at a lower limit
  • Sardinian: assumancu — at a lower limit
  • Sardinian: assunessi — at a lower limit
  • Sardinian: aterunono — at a lower limit
  • Sardinian: cantepennono — at a lower limit
  • Scottish Gaelic: co-dhiù — at a lower limit
  • Scottish Gaelic: aig a' char as lugha — at a lower limit
  • Serbo-Croatian: barem — at a lower limit
  • Serbo-Croatian: bar — at a lower limit
  • Serbo-Croatian: makar — at a lower limit
  • Serbo-Croatian: najmanje — at a lower limit
  • Serbo-Croatian: u najmanju ruku — at a lower limit
  • Spanish: por lo menos — at a lower limit
  • Spanish: al menos — at a lower limit
  • Spanish: a lo menos/menor — at a lower limit
  • Spanish: como mínimo/mínimum/poco — at a lower limit
  • Spanish: cuando menos — at a lower limit
  • Spanish: siquiera — at a lower limit
  • Spanish: no menos de — at a lower limit
  • Spanish: en todo caso — at a lower limit
  • Swedish: åtminstone — at a lower limit
  • Swedish: i alla fall — at a lower limit
  • Swedish: i varje fall — at a lower limit
  • Swedish: minst — at a lower limit
  • Thai: อย่างน้อย (yàang nɔ́ɔi) — at a lower limit
  • Turkish: en az — at a lower limit
  • Ukrainian: щонайме́нше (ščonajménše) — at a lower limit
  • Ukrainian: прина́ймні (prynájmni) — at a lower limit
  • Urdu: کم سے کم (kam se kam) — at a lower limit
  • Uzbek: kamida — at a lower limit
  • Venetan: almancol — at a lower limit
  • Venetan: almanco — at a lower limit
  • Vietnamese: ít nhất — at a lower limit
  • Vietnamese: tối thiểu — at a lower limit
  • Welsh: o leiaf — at a lower limit
  • Yiddish: לפּחות (lepokhes) — at a lower limit
  • Azerbaijani: barı — anyway
  • Azerbaijani: heç olmasa — anyway
  • Belarusian: прынамсі (prynamsi) — anyway
  • Belarusian: ва ўся́кім вы́падку (va wsjákim výpadku) — anyway
  • Belarusian: ва ўся́кім ра́зе (va wsjákim rázje) — anyway
  • Catalan: tanmateix — anyway
  • Catalan: almenys — anyway
  • Danish: i det mindste — anyway
  • Dutch: althans — anyway
  • Dutch: tenminste — anyway
  • Finnish: sentään — anyway
  • French: du moins — anyway
  • French: en tout cas — anyway
  • Georgian: მაინც (mainc) — anyway
  • German: immerhin — anyway
  • Ancient Greek: γε (ge) — anyway
  • Hebrew: כִּכְלוֹת הַכֹּל (kikhlot hakol) — anyway
  • Hungarian: legalább — anyway
  • Hungarian: legalábbis — anyway
  • Icelandic: að minnsta kosti — anyway
  • Irish: ar aon nós — anyway
  • Italian: almeno — anyway
  • Italian: se non altro — anyway
  • Japanese: とにかく (tonikaku) — anyway
  • Japanese: 何しろ (nani shiro) — anyway
  • Korean: 어쨌든 (eojjaetdeun) — anyway
  • Latin: certē — anyway
  • Latvian: vismaz — anyway
  • Malayalam: എന്തായാലും (entāyāluṁ) — anyway
  • Malayalam: എന്നാലും (ennāluṁ) — anyway
  • Norwegian Bokmål: i alle fall — anyway
  • Norwegian Bokmål: i det minste — anyway
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: i alle fall — anyway
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: i det minste — anyway
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: i minsto — anyway
  • Old English: hūru — anyway
  • Plautdietsch: weens — anyway
  • Polish: przynajmniej — anyway
  • Portuguese: mesmo assim — anyway
  • Portuguese: ao menos — anyway
  • Portuguese: pelo menos — anyway
  • Russian: в любо́м слу́чае (v ljubóm slúčaje) — anyway
  • Scottish Gaelic: co-dhiù — anyway
  • Spanish: aun así — anyway
  • Spanish: al menos — anyway
  • Swedish: i varje fall — anyway
  • Swedish: hur som helst — anyway
  • Turkish: bari — anyway
  • Ukrainian: прина́ймні (prynájmni) — anyway
  • Ukrainian: у вся́кому ра́зі (u vsjákomu rázi) — anyway
  • Ukrainian: хоча́ би (xočá by) — anyway
  • Venetan: almanco — anyway