at last

at last — 慣用語

1. used when something that you have been hoping for, waiting for, or working towar

1.慣用語B1
釋義

終於

經過長時間等待後終於發生

used when something that you have been hoping for, waiting for, or working towards finally happens after a long delay or effort

例句

After three years of saving every penny, Marta and Bao could at last afford a small apartment.

存了三年錢之後，Marta 和 Bao 終於買得起一間小公寓。

at last placed after a time clause to show the result of a long effort

At last, Hassan heard back from the university — he had been accepted into the engineering program.

Hassan 終於收到大學的回覆——他被工程學系錄取了。

sentence-initial At last, followed by a comma — marks relief after suspense

常見搭配
  • at long last (emphatic variant)
  • at last + [moment of resolution]
  • and at last
  • until at last
同義詞
  • finally

    the neutral, everyday equivalent; works in any register or context

  • at long last

    a more emphatic and slightly more formal variant of 'at last'

  • eventually

    focuses on the passage of time rather than the feeling of relief

  • in the end

    slightly more informal; can also mean 'ultimately' beyond just timing

反義詞
  • at first

    marks the beginning of a waiting period, not its end

  • to start with

    points to the initial situation rather than the final resolution

文法句型

at last + [clause of resolution]

[clause describing the wait] + at last

用法筆記

Common in narratives where the speaker or writer wants to highlight the emotional relief of reaching the endpoint of a long wait or difficult process. 'At last' carries more emotional weight than 'finally' — the latter can be used in neutral contexts (e.g. 'He finally arrived at 10 a.m.'), whereas 'at last' always signals that the wait felt significant.

常見錯誤

At last, I finished my homework, and then I started cooking dinner.
After finishing my homework at last, I started cooking dinner.
'at last' marks a definitive endpoint, not a pause between routine activities.
At last, he went to the store to buy milk.' (for a routine errand)
At last, the rescue team reached the stranded hikers.
'at last' is too emotionally strong for ordinary daily tasks; use 'finally' instead.