To vs. At: Difference and Comparison
Edited by Muazma Batool — By Muneeza Rehman — Published on January 29, 2024
"To" indicates direction or motion towards, while "at" denotes a specific location or point in time.
Difference Between To and At
The preposition "to" is versatile in English and is primarily used to express motion in the direction of a place or thing. It suggests an onward movement or a destination not yet reached. When we talk about going "to" a place, it implies a journey. For example, traveling "to" Paris indicates moving towards Paris.
Muazma Batool
Jan 29, 2024
Conversely, "at" is a preposition used to point out specific locations or points in time. It often indicates a state of rest or pinpointed precision. For instance, when someone says they are "at" the grocery store, it means they are currently and specifically located there. No movement or journey is indicated, just a precise location.
Muneeza Rehman
Jan 29, 2024
"To" can also be used in contexts other than direction or motion, like when indicating a range or extent, such as "five to ten people." "At", on the other hand, can signify specific instances in time, like meeting "at" 5 pm.
Muazma Batool
Jan 29, 2024
While "to" and "at" both serve as prepositions in the English language, their usage greatly depends on the context. One suggests movement or direction, while the other highlights specific points or exact locations. It's vital to discern these contexts to use them accurately.
Elijah
Jan 29, 2024
To vs. At Comparison Chart
Primary Function
Indicates direction or motion.
Denotes specific location or point in time.
Muazma Batool
Jan 29, 2024
Movement Implication
Suggests onward movement or a destination.
Indicates a state of rest or pinpointed location
Muneeza Rehman
Jan 29, 2024
Time Reference
Can indicate a range or extent.
Can signify specific instances in time.
Muazma Batool
Jan 29, 2024
Usage
Versatile, used in many contexts beyond motion.
More fixed, indicating exact points or locations
Jonathan
Jan 29, 2024
To vs. At Definitions
◉At
In or near the area occupied by; in or near the location of
at the market.
at our destination.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
To or toward the direction or location of, especially for a specific purpose
Questions came at us from all sides.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Used to indicate appropriation or possession
looked for the top to the jar.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
To or using the rate, extent, or amount of; to the point of
at 30 cents a pound.
at high speed.
at 20 paces.
at 350°F.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
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
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
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
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
In the direction of (often in an unfocused or uncaring manner).
He threw the ball at me.
He shouted at her.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
Denotes a price.
3 apples at 2¢ (each)
The offer was at $30,000 before negotiations.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Used to indicate the relationship of a verb with its complement
refer to a dictionary.
refer me to a dictionary.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
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.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Used with a reflexive pronoun to indicate exclusivity or separateness
had the plane to ourselves.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
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.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
In one direction; toward a person or thing
owls with feathers wrong end to.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
Holding a given speed or rate.
It is growing at the rate of 3% a year.
Cruising along at fifty miles per hour.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
(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.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Indicating destination: In the direction of, so as to arrive at.
We are walking to the shop.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Used to indicate the target or recipient of an action.
I gave the book to him.
I spoke to him earlier.
He devoted himself to education.
They drank to his health.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Used to indicate a resulting feeling or emotion.
To everyone's great relief, the tuneless carol singers finally ceased their warbling.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
Primarily, this word expresses the relations of presence, nearness in place or time, or direction toward; as, at the ninth hour; at the house; to aim at a mark. It is less definite than in or on; at the house may be in or near the house. From this original import are derived all the various uses of at.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
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.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
A relation of proximity to, or of presence in or on, something; as, at the door; at your shop; at home; at school; at hand; at sea and on land.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Denotes the end of a range.
It takes 2 to 4 weeks to process typical applications.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
The relation of some state or condition; as, at war; at peace; at ease; at your service; at fault; at liberty; at risk; at disadvantage.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
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).
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
The relation of some employment or action; occupied with; as, at engraving; at husbandry; at play; at work; at meat (eating); except at puns.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Used to indicate a ratio or comparison; compared to, as against.
one to one = 1:1
ten to one = 10:1.
I have ten dollars to your four.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
The relation of a point or position in a series, or of degree, rate, or value; as, with the thermometer at 80°; goods sold at a cheap price; a country estimated at 10,000 square miles; life is short at the longest.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
(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.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
The relations of time, age, or order; as, at ten o'clock; at twenty-one; at once; at first.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
(time) Preceding the next hour.
What's the time? – It's quarter to four in the afternoon (or 3:45 pm).
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
The relations of source, occasion, reason, consequence, or effect; as, at the sight; at this news; merry at anything; at this declaration; at his command; to demand, require, receive, deserve, endure at your hands.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
(informal) Often used without the hour
It’s quarter to (3:45, or 4:45, or whatever time ending in 45 would make the most sense)
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
Relation of direction toward an object or end; as, look at it; to point at one; to aim at a mark; to throw, strike, shoot, wink, mock, laugh at any one.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
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.
The name has a nice ring to it.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉At
a highly unstable radioactive element (the heaviest of the halogen series); a decay product of uranium and thorium
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
(regionalism) Toward a closed, touching or engaging position.
Please push the door to.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
The preposition to primarily indicates approach and arrival, motion made in the direction of a place or thing and attaining it, access; and also, motion or tendency without arrival; movement toward; - opposed to from.
Stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.
So to the sylvan lodgeThey came, that like Pomona's arbor smiled.
I'll to him again, . . . He'll tell me all his purpose.She stretched her arms to heaven.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Hence, it indicates motion, course, or tendency toward a time, a state or condition, an aim, or anything capable of being regarded as a limit to a tendency, movement, or action; as, he is going to a trade; he is rising to wealth and honor.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
In a very general way, and with innumerable varieties of application, to connects transitive verbs with their remoter or indirect object, and adjectives, nouns, and neuter or passive verbs with a following noun which limits their action. Its sphere verges upon that of for, but it contains less the idea of design or appropriation; as, these remarks were addressed to a large audience; let us keep this seat to ourselves; a substance sweet to the taste; an event painful to the mind; duty to God and to our parents; a dislike to spirituous liquor.
Marks and points out each man of us to slaughter.
Whilst they, distilledAlmost to jelly with the act of fear,Stand dumb and speak not to him.
Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
I have a king's oath to the contrary.
Numbers were crowded to death.
Fate and the dooming gods are deaf to tears.
Go, buckle to the law.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
As sign of the infinitive, to had originally the use of last defined, governing the infinitive as a verbal noun, and connecting it as indirect object with a preceding verb or adjective; thus, ready to go, i.e., ready unto going; good to eat, i.e., good for eating; I do my utmost to lead my life pleasantly. But it has come to be the almost constant prefix to the infinitive, even in situations where it has no prepositional meaning, as where the infinitive is direct object or subject; thus, I love to learn, i.e., I love learning; to die for one's country is noble, i.e., the dying for one's country. Where the infinitive denotes the design or purpose, good usage formerly allowed the prefixing of for to the to; as, what went ye out for see? (Matt. xi. 8).
Then longen folk to go on pilgrimages,And palmers for to seeken strange stranders.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
In many phrases, and in connection with many other words, to has a pregnant meaning, or is used elliptically.
We ready are to try our fortunesTo the last man.
Few of the Esquimaux can count to ten.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Effect; end; consequence; as, the prince was flattered to his ruin; he engaged in a war to his cost; violent factions exist to the prejudice of the state.
Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Accord; adaptation; as, an occupation to his taste; she has a husband to her mind.
He to God's image, she to his was made.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Comparison; as, three is to nine as nine is to twenty-seven; it is ten to one that you will offend him.
All that they did was piety to this.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Addition; union; accumulation.
Wisdom he has, and to his wisdom, courage.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Accompaniment; as, she sang to his guitar; they danced to the music of a piano.
Anon they moveIn perfect phalanx to the Dorian moodOf flutes and soft recorders.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉To
Character; condition of being; purpose subserved or office filled.
Made his masters and others . . . to consider him to a little wonder.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow;Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.
There was great showing both to and fro.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
To vs. At Frequently Asked Questions
How is "at" commonly used in terms of location?
It denotes a specific location or point.
Muneeza Rehman
Jan 29, 2024
When might one use "at" in relation to time?
To signify a specific time, like "at 5 pm."
Nolan
Jan 29, 2024
How can "at" express activities?
By indicating proficiency, as in "good at swimming."
Muneeza Rehman
Jan 29, 2024
In what scenario is "to" used in expressing limits?
Like in "from 9 to 5," indicating a time range.
Lucas
Jan 29, 2024
What is the primary use of "to"?
Expressing direction or motion towards a destination.
Muazma Batool
Jan 29, 2024
Does "to" always suggest movement?
No, it can also indicate a range, attachment, or purpose.
William
Jan 29, 2024
What does it mean when someone says they are "at boiling point"?
It indicates a specific state or condition.
Muneeza Rehman
Jan 29, 2024
Does "to" suggest a journey or direction?
Yes, it implies movement towards a destination.
Nolan
Jan 29, 2024
Content Creators
Written by
Muneeza RehmanAt Comparisons.wiki, Muneeza skillfully navigates the vast sea of information, ensuring clarity and accuracy as the lead content editor. With a keen eye for detail, she curates every comparison to enlighten and engage readers.
Edited by
Muazma BatoolAs a content editor, Muazma Batool is not just a grammar guru but a creative mastermind who breathes life into every word. With an eagle eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, she transforms bland text into engaging content that captivates audiences and drives results.
