at last

prepositional phrase

After a long time; eventually.

“After all their troubles, at last they lived happily ever after.”

Similar
in due coursesooner or laterlastlyultimatelyfinallyin the endat long last
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. idiomaticAfter a long time; eventually.

    After three hundred years had passed, at last the vampire's soul was free.

    2 more examples

    Now that the dog has stopped barking, perhaps we can at last get some rest.

    I had run marthastewart.com in its early years, but now my kingdom was infinitely smaller, with me in every role—including the name on the URL. Thank you, Jesus. Chief Everything Officer: CEO at last.

    2011, Margaret Roach, “Margaret Untethered (A Preview)”, in And I Shall Have Some Peace There […], New York, N.Y.: Grand Central Publishing, →ISBN, page 7

    Synonyms: in due course, sooner or later

  2. idiomaticIn the end; finally; ultimately.

    After all their troubles, at last they lived happily ever after.

    5 more examples

    After exhausting all possibilities, Holmes was at last satisfied the problem was unsolvable.

    Upon balancing the account, the profit at last will hardly countervail the inconveniences that go along with it.

    1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC

    No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or[…]. And at last I began to realize in my harassed soul that all elusion was futile, and to take such holidays as I could get, when he was off with a girl, in a spirit of thankfulness.

    1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 46

    She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man.

    1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

    The offending train ahead proved to be the 9.30 a.m. from Waterloo, which after Southampton checked us again and again until at last we passed it, headed by 4-6-0 No. 30850, Lord Nelson, standing shamefacedly in the loop at Pokesdown.

    1958 June 28, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, pages 415-416

    Synonyms: lastly, ultimately

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseAfter a long time; eventually.

Similar
in due coursesooner or later

prepositional phraseIn the end; finally; ultimately.

Similar
lastlyultimately

More synonyms by meaning

adverbas the end result of a succession or process

Similar
ultimatelyfinallyin the endat long last
Also see
at lengthat long lasteventuallyfinallyin the endlastlyultimatelyyet

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Arabic أَخِيرًا, أَخِيرًا
  • أَخِيرًا (ʔaḵīran)after a long time; eventually
  • أَخِيرًا (ʔaḵīran)in the end; finally; ultimately
Basque azkenean
  • azkeneanin the end; finally; ultimately
Chinese Mandarin 終於 /终于, 最終 /最终
  • 終於 /终于 (zhōngyú)after a long time; eventually
  • 最終 /最终 (zuìzhōng)in the end; finally; ultimately
  • 最後 /最后 (zuìhòu)in the end; finally; ultimately
Czech konečně, nakonec
  • konečněafter a long time; eventually
  • nakonecin the end; finally; ultimately
Dutch eindelijk, uiteindelijk
  • eindelijkafter a long time; eventually
  • uiteindelijkin the end; finally; ultimately
Esperanto finfine, fine
  • finfineafter a long time; eventually
  • finein the end; finally; ultimately
Finnish lopulta, vihdoin
  • lopultaafter a long time; eventually
  • vihdoinafter a long time; eventually
  • lopultain the end; finally; ultimately
French enfin, à la fin
  • enfinafter a long time; eventually
  • à la finin the end; finally; ultimately
  • au bout du comptein the end; finally; ultimately
  • finalementin the end; finally; ultimately
German endlich, schließlich
  • endlichafter a long time; eventually
  • schließlichin the end; finally; ultimately
Greek επιτέλους
  • επιτέλους (epitélous)after a long time; eventually
Hindi आख़िर
  • आख़िर (āxir)in the end; finally; ultimately
Hungarian végre, végre-valahára
  • végreafter a long time; eventually
  • végre-valaháraafter a long time; eventually
  • végülin the end; finally; ultimately
Irish faoi dheireadh, ar deireadh
  • faoi dheireadhafter a long time; eventually
  • ar deireadhafter a long time; eventually
  • faoi dheireadhin the end; finally; ultimately
  • i ndeireadh na dálain the end; finally; ultimately
  • ar deireadhin the end; finally; ultimately
Italian finalmente
  • finalmenteafter a long time; eventually
Japanese 遂に, 等々
  • 遂に (tsui ni)after a long time; eventually
  • 等々 (tōtō)after a long time; eventually
  • やっと (yatto)after a long time; eventually
  • 終わりに (owari ni)in the end; finally; ultimately
  • 最終的に (saishūteki ni)in the end; finally; ultimately
  • 最後に (saigo ni)in the end; finally; ultimately
Latin dēmum, tandem
  • dēmumafter a long time; eventually
  • tandemafter a long time; eventually
  • tandemin the end; finally; ultimately
Malay akhirnya
  • akhirnyaafter a long time; eventually
Norwegian Bokmål endelig
  • endeligafter a long time; eventually
Polish wreszcie, nareszcie
  • wreszcieafter a long time; eventually
  • nareszcieafter a long time; eventually
  • w końcuafter a long time; eventually
Portuguese finalmente, por fim
  • finalmenteafter a long time; eventually
  • por fimin the end; finally; ultimately
Russian наконе́ц, наконе́ц-то
  • наконе́ц (nakonéc)after a long time; eventually
  • наконе́ц-то (nakonéc-to)after a long time; eventually
  • напосле́док (naposlédok)in the end; finally; ultimately
  • наконе́ц (nakonéc)in the end; finally; ultimately
  • в конце концов (v konce koncov)in the end; finally; ultimately
Scottish Gaelic mu dheireadh, fa dheireadh
  • mu dheireadhafter a long time; eventually
  • fa dheireadhafter a long time; eventually
  • bho dheireadhafter a long time; eventually
Spanish por fin, al fin
  • por finafter a long time; eventually
  • al finafter a long time; eventually
  • al finin the end; finally; ultimately
  • por finin the end; finally; ultimately
  • al caboin the end; finally; ultimately
Swedish slutligen, äntligen
  • slutligenafter a long time; eventually
  • äntligenafter a long time; eventually
  • till slutin the end; finally; ultimately
  • slutligenin the end; finally; ultimately
Tagalog sa wakas, sa wakas
  • sa wakasafter a long time; eventually
  • sa wakasin the end; finally; ultimately
Turkish sonunda, nihayet
  • sonundain the end; finally; ultimately
  • nihayetin the end; finally; ultimately
Ukrainian нарешті
  • нарешті (narešti)after a long time; eventually
Urdu بِالْآخِر, آخر
  • بِالْآخِر (bil-āxir)after a long time; eventually
  • آخر (āxir)in the end; finally; ultimately
  • بِالْآخِر (bil-āxir)in the end; finally; ultimately
Welsh o'r diwedd, yn olaf
  • o'r diweddafter a long time; eventually
  • yn olafin the end; finally; ultimately
Cite this entry
APA

at last. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20last

MLA

“at last.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20last. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at last,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20last.

Source: at last on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.