At last, lastly and finally | English School Dublin

We use the expression at last when we feel that we have been waiting for a long time for something and then it happens. When we say at last we express a sense of relief.

For example, imagine you agree to meet your friend at half past four but they don’t arrive until 5 o clock. When your friend finally arrives you can say:

Here you are at last! I have been waiting for half an hour!

Here are some similar examples:

The bus is late as usual. When it finally arrives you say:
At last! I thought it would never come.

You ordered a book online and have been waiting over a month for it to arrive. The postman delivers it and you say:
Ah, my book is here at last!

We often use at last when we have been looking forward to something and then it happens.

People usually look forward to their holidays from work. On the day their holiday arrives they might say:

I’m on holidays at last!

If you have been feeling hungry all morning and waiting for lunchtime to arrive, when lunchtime comes you might say:
It’s lunchtime, at last!

Notice that in all of the examples above we could use the word finally instead of at last.