least
adverb/liːst/
Слово англійською: least
Переклад least українською: щонайменше
Детальний опис
- to the smallest degree
- He always turns up just when you least expect him.
- She chose the least expensive of the hotels.
- I never hid the truth, least of all from you.
- We had to settle for the least worst option (= the best of several options that were all bad).
Word OriginOld English lǣst, lǣsest, of Germanic origin; related to less.
Idioms
at least
- not less than
- It'll cost at least 500 dollars.
- She must be at least 40.
- Cut the grass at least once a week in summer.
- I've known her at least as long as you have.
- used to add a positive comment about a negative situation
- She may be slow but at least she's reliable.
- even if nothing else is true or you do nothing else
- You could at least listen to what he says.
- Well, at least they weren't bored.
- used to limit or make what you have just said less definite synonym anyway
- They seldom complained—officially at least.
- It works, at least I think it does.
last but not least
- used when mentioning the last person or thing of a group, in order to say that they are not less important than the others
- Last but not least, I'd like to thank all the catering staff.
least said soonest mended
- (British English, saying) a bad situation will pass or be forgotten most quickly if nothing more is said about it
the less/least said the better
- the best thing to do is say as little as possible about something
(choose, follow, take, etc.) the line/path of least resistance
- (to choose, etc.) the easiest way of doing something
not least
- especially
- The documentary caused a lot of bad feeling, not least among the workers whose lives it described.