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
Hopefully, this can inspire some new meal ideas, or at the very least, entertain you.
—
Jennifer Adams, StyleCaster, 9 Sep. 2024
But at the very least, Bavarian Nordic and KM Biologics should share the technology with African manufacturers and support them to scale up manufacturing as soon as possible.
—Gavin Yamey, TIME, 6 Sep. 2024
Ordered to series in May, Going Dutch follows an arrogant, loudmouth U.S. Army colonel (played by Leary) who, after an epically unfiltered rant, is reassigned to the Netherlands, where he is punished with a command position at the least important army base in the world.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2024
If there’s any real criteria as a measuring stick for the defense of starsploitation, maturing celebrities with a considerable cachet delving into hyperbolic human behavior is, at the least, a starting point.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for at the (very) least 
Jennifer Adams, StyleCaster, 9 Sep. 2024
But at the very least, Bavarian Nordic and KM Biologics should share the technology with African manufacturers and support them to scale up manufacturing as soon as possible.
—Gavin Yamey, TIME, 6 Sep. 2024
Ordered to series in May, Going Dutch follows an arrogant, loudmouth U.S. Army colonel (played by Leary) who, after an epically unfiltered rant, is reassigned to the Netherlands, where he is punished with a command position at the least important army base in the world.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2024
If there’s any real criteria as a measuring stick for the defense of starsploitation, maturing celebrities with a considerable cachet delving into hyperbolic human behavior is, at the least, a starting point.
—Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for at the (very) least
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 24 Sep. 2024.
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