I. determiner
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
at least one occasion (= once, and probably more than once )
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On at least one occasion he was arrested for robbery.
could at least
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You could at least say that you’re sorry.
least worst
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Often it’s a question of choosing the least worst option.
less/least likely
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The smallest puppies are the least likely to survive.
not in the least bit
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I’m not in the least bit interested in whose fault it is.
or at least
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We’ve cleaned it all up, or at least most of it.
sth happens when you least expect it
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Bad luck tends to happen when you least expect it.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
last but not least
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Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife for her support.
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Last but not least, let me introduce Jane, our new accountant.
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And last but not least, I thank Begona Canup for her interest in the book.
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Social Security has reduced poverty, and last , but by no means least, it has been a good deal for participants.
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And last but not least, the baby of the family.
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And last but not least, there are all those damn kids sharing files and scaring the media moguls shiftless.
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And, last but not least, its growth and production has a huge impact on the environment we live in.
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And, last but not least, my cousin Bishop Malduin of Kinrimund with, no doubt, his stepson Colban.
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And, last but not least, they might re-read the scores while listening.
the line/path of least resistance
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If you take the line of least resistance or fail to be consistent, you will actually make things worse.
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Political will in such situations is a low explosive, blasting along the lines of least resistance .
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Pretty soon, the water, which follows the path of least resistance , has its own plan for your driveway.
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The priesthood built itself and if we help it along we are only following the line of least resistance .
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Usually he just takes the line of least resistance .
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When it constructs its tunnel underground the rabbit, naturally enough, takes the line of least resistance .
to say the least
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As captain and opening bat, he's an important member of the side, to say the least.
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Cartoonish, to say the least.
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It is a bizarre setting, to say the least, where the boredom and indifference can be measured in metric tons.
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The lamps look, to say the least, unreliable.
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The outlook for their national teams is, to say the least, uncertain.
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The results of these experiments were, to say the least, puzzling to the researchers.
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There would be a bit of confusion, to say the least.
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Try as she might, her working relationship with Stephanie Marsa was strained to say the least.
II. adverb
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Air-conditioning is standard except on the least expensive model.
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Car problems happen when you least expect them.
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I was the least experienced member of the expedition.
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Portugal would be my least favourite choice.
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The people who are least able to afford healthcare are often the ones who need it most.
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The tax hits those who can least afford it.
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We were the least successful team in the competition.
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Which job would you least like to do?
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Alex Ferguson will have loved this, not least because questions had started to be asked of his team and star names.
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It is also the explanation of political behavior that has been least fully explored by means of social scientific inquiry.
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Last but not least , community projects include events such as school quizzes, sheltered shopping and the annual Aberdeen Carnival.
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Not least there are hints on organising your new crew.
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Not least , it reduces the time in which the specification can be changed.