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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Barkley should at the very least be considered to break that streak. —

Brooks Kubena, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024 McCarthy also cautioned that the attorney-client relationship between Trump and Blanche, Bove, and Sauer could present conflicts of interest or, at the least, unnecessarily gift Democrats with fodder. —

Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 24 Nov. 2024 The programming gambit should, at the very least, draw younger crowds to NFL play. —

Brian Steinberg, Variety, 22 Nov. 2024 That’s what a medical pedicure achieves—at the very least. —

Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for at the (very) least

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“At the (very) least.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20the%20%28very%29%20least. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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