To vs. At

To vs. At — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between To and At

Topreposition

Indicating destination: In the direction of, and arriving at.

We are walking to the shop.

Atpreposition

In, near, or in the general vicinity of a particular place.

Caesar was at Rome;at the corner of Fourth Street and Vine;at Jim’s house

Topreposition

Used to indicate purpose.

He devoted himself to education.They drank to his health.

Atpreposition

Indicating occurrence in an instant of time or a period of time relatively short in context or from the speaker's perspective.

at six o’clock;at closing time;at night.

Topreposition

Used to indicate result of action.

His face was beaten to a pulp.

Atpreposition

In the direction of (often in an unfocused or uncaring manner).

He threw the ball at me.He shouted at her.
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Topreposition

Used after an adjective to indicate its application.

similar to ..., relevant to ..., pertinent to ..., I was nice to him, he was cruel to her, I am used to walking.

Atpreposition

Denotes a price.

3 apples at 2¢ (each)The offer was at $30,000 before negotiations.

Topreposition

As a.

With God to friend (with God as a friend);with The Devil to fiend (with the Devil as a foe);lambs slaughtered to lake (lambs slaughtered as a sacrifice);took her to wife (took her as a wife);was sold to slave (was sold as a slave).

Atpreposition

Occupied in (activity).

men at work

Topreposition

(arithmetic) Used to indicate a ratio or comparison.

one to one = 1:1ten to one = 10:1.I have ten dollars to your four.

Atpreposition

In a state of.

She is at sixes and sevens with him.They are at loggerheads over how best to tackle the fiscal cliff.The city was at the mercy of the occupying forces.
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Topreposition

(arithmetic) Used to indicate that the preceding term is to be raised to the power of the following value; indicates exponentiation.

Three squared or three to the second power is nine.Three to the power of two is nine.Three to the second is nine.

Atpreposition

Indicates a position on a scale or in a series.

Sell at 90.Tiger finished the round at tenth, seven strokes behind the leaders.I'm offering it—just to select customers—at cost.

Topreposition

Used to indicate the indirect object.

I gave the book to him.

Atpreposition

Because of.

to laugh at a jokemad at their comments

Topreposition

(time) Preceding.

ten to ten = 9:50; We're going to leave at ten to (the hour).

Atpreposition

Indicates a means, method, or manner.

Topreposition

Used to describe what something consists of or contains.

Anyone could do this job; there's nothing to it.There's a lot of sense to what he says.

Atpreposition

Holding a given speed or rate.

It is growing at the rate of 3% a year.Cruising along at fifty miles per hour.

Topreposition

At.

Stay where you're to and I'll come find you, b'y.

Atpreposition

(used for skills (including in activities) or areas of knowledge) On the subject of; regarding.

The twins were both bad at chemistry.He slipped at marksmanship over his extended vacation.

Toadverb

Toward a closed, touching or engaging position.

Please push the door to.

Atpreposition

Bothering, irritating, causing discomfort to

Toadverb

(nautical) Into the wind.

Atnoun

The at sign (@).

Toadverb

misspelling of too

Atnoun

a highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series); a decay product of uranium and thorium

Atnoun

100 at equal 1 kip