Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
Note: 'Least' is often considered to be the superlative form of 'little'.
1.
You use at ~ to say that a number or amount is the smallest that is possible or likely and that the actual number or amount may be greater. The forms at the ~ and at the very ~ are also used.
Aim to have at ~ half a pint of milk each day...
Normally it has only had eleven or twelve members in all. Now it will have seventeen at the very ~.
PHRASE: PHR amount, amount PHR
2.
You use at ~ to say that something is the minimum that is true or possible. The forms at the ~ and at the very ~ are also used.
She could take a nice holiday at ~...
At the ~, I needed some sleep...
His possession of classified documents in his home was, at the very ~, a violation of Navy security regulations.
PHRASE: PHR with cl/group
3.
You use at ~ to indicate an advantage that exists in spite of the disadvantage or bad situation that has just been mentioned.
We’ve no idea what his state of health is but at ~ we know he is still alive...
If something awful happens to you at ~ you can write about it.
PHRASE: PHR with cl
4.
You use at ~ to indicate that you are correcting or changing something that you have just said.
It’s not difficult to get money for research or at ~ it’s not always difficult...
PHRASE: PHR with cl/group
5.
You use the ~ to mean a smaller amount than anyone or anything else, or the smallest amount possible.
I try to offend the ~ amount of people possible...
If you like cheese, go for the ones with the ~ fat.
? most
ADJ: the ADJ n
•
Least is also a pronoun.
On education funding, Japan performs best but spends the ~ per student.
? most
PRON: the PRON
•
Least is also an adverb.
Damming the river may end up benefitting those who need it the ~.
ADV: the ADV after v
6.
You use ~ to indicate that someone or something has less of a particular quality than most other things of its kind.
The ~ experienced athletes had caused a great many false-starts through the day’s proceedings...
? most
ADV: ADV adj/adv
7.
You use the ~ to emphasize the smallness of something, especially when it hardly exists at all.
I don’t have the ~ idea of what you’re talking about...
They neglect their duty at the ~ hint of fun elsewhere...
ADJ: the ADJ n emphasis
8.
You use ~ to indicate that something is true or happens to a smaller degree or extent than anything else or at any other time.
He had a way of throwing her off guard with his charm when she ~ expected it.
? most
ADV: ADV with v
9.
You use ~ in structures where you are emphasizing that a particular situation or event is much less important or serious than other possible or actual ones.
Having to get up at three o’clock every morning was the ~ of her worries...
At that moment, they were among the ~ of the concerns of the government.
ADJ: ADJ of def-n emphasis
10.
You use the ~ in structures where you are stating the minimum that should be done in a situation, and suggesting that more should really be done.
Well, the ~ you can do, if you won’t help me yourself, is to tell me where to go instead...
The ~ his hotel could do is provide a little privacy.
PRON: the PRON cl
11.
You can use in the ~ and the ~ bit to emphasize a negative.
I’m not like that at all. Not in the ~...
I’m not in the ~ bit touched by the Marilyn Monroe kind of beauty...
Alice wasn’t the ~ bit frightened.
PHRASE: with brd-neg, PHR with cl, PHR adj emphasis
12.
You use last but not ~ to say that the last person or thing to be mentioned is as important as all the others.
...her four sons, Christopher, twins Daniel and Nicholas, and last but not ~ 2-year-old Jack.
PHRASE: PHR with cl/group
13.
You can use ~ of all after a negative statement to emphasize that it applies especially to the person or thing mentioned.
No one ever reads these articles, ~ of all me...
Such a speech should never have been made, ~ of all by a so called responsible politician.
PHRASE: with brd-neg, PHR cl/group emphasis
14.
You can use not ~ to emphasize a particularly important example or reason.
Dieting can be bad for you, not ~ because it is a cause of stress...
Everyone is more reluctant to travel these days, not ~ the Americans.
PHRASE: PHR cl/group emphasis
15.
You can use to say the ~ to suggest that a situation is actually much more extreme or serious than you say it is.
Accommodation was basic to say the ~...
Some members of the public can be a bit abusive to say the ~.
PHRASE: PHR with cl emphasis