be at

be at (one)

To nag or pester one to do something. My mom is always at me about cleaning my room—it's so annoying. I've been at Tom to finish that report all week, so he had better be close by now! Why are you still at me about this? For the last time, I didn't take that money you had laying around!

be at (something)

1. To be located in a particular place. Where are you at? I just looked inside the restaurant, but I didn't see you. I'm at the main entrance—where are you? The lab is at the far end of campus. You're better off taking the shuttle there.
2. To occur at a specific time. According to the tickets, the concert is at 8:00, but I'm sure the headliner won't go on that early. The graduation ceremony is at 3:00. Come on, the movie starts at 7:00! If we don't leave now, we're gonna be late!
3. To be working on something determinedly or persistently. I've been at this problem for hours and still haven't found a solution. We've been at this research for months with no progress. I'm starting to worry that the board is going to pull our funding. I'm sorry the engine still isn't working, I know you've been at this for a while now.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

be at

v.
1. To be located somewhere: The hotel is at the center of town. I am at the corner of 11th Street and Third Avenue.
2. To take place at some given time: Our meeting is at noon. The movie is at 8:00, so we've got plenty of time for dinner.
3. To be busy trying to accomplish something; keep at. Often used with it: I have been at this interminable project for weeks now.
4. To remind someone regularly about something or to do something: He's been at me about the book he lent to me.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in classic literature ?
I have sent for you to ask that my pocket-book, dressing-case, and clothes be at once restored to me, and that I be provided with the means of continuing my journey without a moment's further delay."
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they do not know, and cannot tell; but in order that they may not appear to be at a loss, they repeat the ready-made charges which are used against all philosophers about teaching things up in the clouds and under the earth, and having no gods, and making the worse appear the better cause; for they do not like to confess that their pretence of knowledge has been detected-- which is the truth; and as they are numerous and ambitious and energetic, and are drawn up in battle array and have persuasive tongues, they have filled your ears with their loud and inveterate calumnies.
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Three months ago, therefore, I went out to meet him as a knight-errant, under the assumed name of the Knight of the Mirrors, intending to engage him in combat and overcome him without hurting him, making it the condition of our combat that the vanquished should be at the disposal of the victor.
"Peace, Sancho," said Don Quixote; "thou seest my suspension and retirement is not to exceed a year; I shall soon return to my honoured calling, and I shall not be at a loss for a kingdom to win and a county to bestow on thee."
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They, being born, must die, and, being dead, are glad to be at rest."
But here through the dusk comes one who is not glad to be at rest.
View in context
Though he would have challenged for the Leeds Golf Car Yorkshire Open - a title he has won twice - at Bradford (Hawksworth) on May 23 but for being in the States, Brand will be at Willow Valley for the championship and pro-am two days after having contested the Wales Senior Open at Celtic Manor, Newport.
Local golf
JM: I don't think I ever had a preconceived notion of where I should be at any particular point in my life.
Mapping successful careers
That's followed a month later by the Longhirst Challenge on May 18-19 and then it's the Northumberland and Durham Open on at Hexham on June 8 and the second of the new 36-hole events will be at the Ramside on July 11.
Tom inheriting a bumper legacy
You then conclude that "What does not vary is the necessity for him to exist in the world, to be at work there, to be there in the midst of other people, and to be mortal there." You even go so far as to state "there is a universality of man." In effect, you try to dance as close to the fire of "human nature" as possible without being burned--by the truth.
Freedom and authority: Burke and Sartre in dialogue
They will toss me about until I feel as if I must die, and then they will calm down and all will be at peace for a time, until it starts up again.
The Violence of God: Dialogic Fragments
Still, the fees are lower at a community college than they would be at a four-year college, so I chose the community college path.
Why Am I Here? Student Reflections on Community College Education
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