"at it" meaning in All languages combined

See at it on Wiktionary

Prepositional phrase [English]

IPA: /ˈat ɪt/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈæt ɪt/ [General-American], [ˈæɾɪt̚] [General-American]
  1. Occupied with a given activity; busy with something.
    Sense id: en-at_it-en-prep_phrase-gBQhg~PM
  2. Occupied with a given activity; busy with something.
    Engaged in sexual intercourse or other sexual activity.
    Sense id: en-at_it-en-prep_phrase-y29RgS5o Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Russian translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 9 91 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 22 78 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 10 90 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 9 91 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 24 76 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 23 77 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 23 77 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 18 82
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: go at it, while one is at it Translations (in the middle of a given activity): bezig (Dutch), asialla (Finnish), dabei (German), zajęty (Polish), за э́тим (za étim) (Russian), при э́том (pri étom) (Russian)
Disambiguation of 'in the middle of a given activity': 50 50
{
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "go at it"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "while one is at it"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              18,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):",
          "text": "Mart. Oh they are at it.\nLart. Their noise be our instruction.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              8,
              13
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1893, Edwin H Porter, The Fall River Tragedy:",
          "text": "We were at it until three o'clock in the morning.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Occupied with a given activity; busy with something."
      ],
      "id": "en-at_it-en-prep_phrase-gBQhg~PM",
      "links": [
        [
          "Occupied",
          "occupied"
        ],
        [
          "busy",
          "busy"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 78",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "10 90",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 76",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 82",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              34,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I came home early and caught them at it in the front room.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              12,
              17
            ],
            [
              32,
              37
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1977, Buzzcocks, “Orgasm Addict”:",
          "text": "He's always at it\nYou're always at it\n'Cause you're an orgasm addict\nWe're all orgasm addicts",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              29,
              34
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2015 April 16, Richard P. Grant, “Sex and the successful fundraiser”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "It’s Spring, and everybody’s at it. ¶ The neighbours’ cats stroll into my garden, mewling and hoping for a little bit of in flagrante. Honey bees brazenly assault the cherry blossom.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Occupied with a given activity; busy with something.",
        "Engaged in sexual intercourse or other sexual activity."
      ],
      "id": "en-at_it-en-prep_phrase-y29RgS5o",
      "links": [
        [
          "Occupied",
          "occupied"
        ],
        [
          "busy",
          "busy"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈat ɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈæt ɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈæɾɪt̚]",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "bezig"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "asialla"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "dabei"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "zajęty"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "za étim",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "за э́тим"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "pri étom",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "при э́том"
    }
  ],
  "word": "at it"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "go at it"
    },
    {
      "word": "while one is at it"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              18,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):",
          "text": "Mart. Oh they are at it.\nLart. Their noise be our instruction.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              8,
              13
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1893, Edwin H Porter, The Fall River Tragedy:",
          "text": "We were at it until three o'clock in the morning.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Occupied with a given activity; busy with something."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Occupied",
          "occupied"
        ],
        [
          "busy",
          "busy"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "attestations": [
        {
          "date": "from 17th c.",
          "references": []
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              34,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "text": "I came home early and caught them at it in the front room.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              12,
              17
            ],
            [
              32,
              37
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1977, Buzzcocks, “Orgasm Addict”:",
          "text": "He's always at it\nYou're always at it\n'Cause you're an orgasm addict\nWe're all orgasm addicts",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              29,
              34
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2015 April 16, Richard P. Grant, “Sex and the successful fundraiser”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "It’s Spring, and everybody’s at it. ¶ The neighbours’ cats stroll into my garden, mewling and hoping for a little bit of in flagrante. Honey bees brazenly assault the cherry blossom.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Occupied with a given activity; busy with something.",
        "Engaged in sexual intercourse or other sexual activity."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Occupied",
          "occupied"
        ],
        [
          "busy",
          "busy"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈat ɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈæt ɪt/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈæɾɪt̚]",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "bezig"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "lang_code": "fi",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "asialla"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "dabei"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "zajęty"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "za étim",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "за э́тим"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "pri étom",
      "sense": "in the middle of a given activity",
      "word": "при э́том"
    }
  ],
  "word": "at it"
}

Download raw JSONL data for at it meaning in All languages combined (3.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.