at the (very) least
idiom
—used to indicate the least thing that is true, acceptable, desirable, or certain to happen
He wanted to win the race, or at the least, to finish second.
It will change your life or, at the very least, teach you something new.
At the very least, she deserves to be heard.
Examples of at the (very) least in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With more metals in the rivers, scientists are concerned the phenomenon could impact rural drinking water—and at the very least affect the water’s taste, reports CBS News’ Aliza Chasan.
—
Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2024
O’Leary, of course, will hope the promise of sun and sea will entice otherwise hesitant customers into splurging on vacations, at the very least giving Ryanair a summer to remember.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 21 May 2024
My family is devastated and at the least deserves closure and peace.
—Photographs Todd Heisler, New York Times, 19 May 2024
Some floral arrangers soak the entire cut stems for several hours in warm water, but at the very least, make sure the cut ends stay underwater, just like with a flower bouquet.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 22 Feb. 2024
So getting more trees in the urban landscape is also about collaboration and education, getting folks to understand the significant cooling benefits that could well save their lives—and, at the very least, reduce their air-conditioning bills.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 9 May 2024
There were plenty of mixed emotions this week in response to the closure of Oscar-winning production company Participant, and at the very least the industry has agreed something has come to an end.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
All options must be explored — at the very least to improve, but really to give Curry another shot at a title run.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Signs of Sandworm Mandiant found multiple strong clues that Cyber Army of Russia was, at the very least, created with support from Sandworm if not entirely controlled by that unit of the GRU.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2024
O’Leary, of course, will hope the promise of sun and sea will entice otherwise hesitant customers into splurging on vacations, at the very least giving Ryanair a summer to remember.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 21 May 2024
My family is devastated and at the least deserves closure and peace.
—Photographs Todd Heisler, New York Times, 19 May 2024
Some floral arrangers soak the entire cut stems for several hours in warm water, but at the very least, make sure the cut ends stay underwater, just like with a flower bouquet.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 22 Feb. 2024
So getting more trees in the urban landscape is also about collaboration and education, getting folks to understand the significant cooling benefits that could well save their lives—and, at the very least, reduce their air-conditioning bills.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 9 May 2024
There were plenty of mixed emotions this week in response to the closure of Oscar-winning production company Participant, and at the very least the industry has agreed something has come to an end.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
All options must be explored — at the very least to improve, but really to give Curry another shot at a title run.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Signs of Sandworm Mandiant found multiple strong clues that Cyber Army of Russia was, at the very least, created with support from Sandworm if not entirely controlled by that unit of the GRU.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at the (very) least.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near at the (very) least
Cite this Entry
“At the (very) least.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20%28very%29%20least. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
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