at least

a) LIMITnot less than a particular number or amount 不少于，至少，起码〔指数或量〕

It will take you at least 20 minutes to get there.

到那里至少要花20分钟。

He had at least £100,000 in savings.

他起码有10万英镑的存款。

at the (very) least (=not less than and probably much more than) 最起码

It would cost $1 million at the very least.

最起码要花100万美元。

b) GOOD POINT OR CHARACTERISTICeven if something better is not true or is not done 至少〔指尽管没有更好的情况〕

At least he didn’t lie to me.

至少他没跟我撒谎。

I don’t expect you to pay me, but you could at least cover my expenses.

我不指望你给我报酬，但你至少也得支付我的开销呀。

The house still needed a lot of work, but at least the kitchen was finished.

这房子还有不少活要干，但至少厨房已经完工了。

c) BUTused when you are correcting or changing something that you have just said 至少，起码〔用于纠正或改变刚说过的话〕

They all knew I was on their side. At least, that’s what they said.

他们都知道我站在他们这一边，至少他们是这么说的。

I made everything perfectly clear – or at least I thought I did.

我把一切都解释得很清楚了——至少我自己是这么认为的。

at leastChinese