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
But at the very least, says Brobeck, use those two websites to supplement the info your prospective agent provides.
—
Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
If that isn’t happening, at the very least, the scope of federal departments and agencies must not be expanded.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Morley argues that the information draws into question, at the very least, whether the CIA could have prevented Kennedy’s assassination.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
Williams seems to have fundamentally misunderstood the novel, or at the very least to have only a diluted grasp of it.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at the (very) least
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Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2025
If that isn’t happening, at the very least, the scope of federal departments and agencies must not be expanded.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Morley argues that the information draws into question, at the very least, whether the CIA could have prevented Kennedy’s assassination.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025
Williams seems to have fundamentally misunderstood the novel, or at the very least to have only a diluted grasp of it.
—Christian Lewis, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 16 Apr. 2025.
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