Meanings
- At the time referred to (by the present discussion), which is in the past for many discussions but is in the future for others.
You have to keep in mind that there were no computers at the time.
4 more examples
Near-synonym: at that time (often synonymous depending on the timeline of recounting)
You have to remember that this database field is asking for your best estimate of what the exchange rate will be at the time when the transaction takes place — not today's exchange rate.
Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat.
2012 March 28, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87Wednesday June 02, 2021, Has the Northern Ireland Protocol undermined the United Kingdom? Similarly, both the Government and the EU argued at the time the deal was agreed that they were upholding the Good Friday Agreement by implementing the Protocol.
Synonyms: at that time
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseAt the time referred to (by the present discussion), which is in the past for many discussions but is in the future for others.
Translations
Catalan en aquell moment, en el seu moment
- en aquell momentat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- en el seu momentat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Chinese Cantonese 當時 /当时
- 當時 /当时 (dong¹ si⁴)at the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Czech v té době, tehdy
- v té doběat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- tehdyat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Danish dengang
- dengangat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Dutch toen
- toenat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Esperanto tiutempe, je la tempo
- tiutempeat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- je la tempoat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Finnish aikanaan, silloin
- aikanaanat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- silloinat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
French à l'époque
- à l'époqueat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
German zu der Zeit, zur Zeit
- zu der Zeitat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- zur Zeitat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- damalsat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Italian allora
- alloraat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Norwegian Bokmål den gang, dengang
- den gangat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- dengangat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Polish w tamtym czasie
- w tamtym czasieat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Portuguese naquela hora, aquela hora
- naquela horaat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- aquela horaat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- na horaat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- naquela épocaat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- aquela épocaat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- na épocaat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
- à épocaat the time referred to the specific time period, era, or time frame in the past
Cite this entry
at the time. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20time
“at the time.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20time. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at the time,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20the%20time.
Source: at the time on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.