at (long) last

Finally. Typically said after a long period. My husband returns from his trip today at last—I've missed him so much! At long last, I got an A on a math test. All that studying really helped.

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at (long) last

after a long wait; finally. At last the hostages were released. Sally earned her diploma at long last after six years in college.

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at last

finally; after a long wait. The train has come at last. At last, we have gotten something to eat.

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at last

Also, at long last. After a long time, finally, as in At last the speeches ended and dinner was served, or Harry's got his degree at long last. The first term dates from about 1200, the variant from the early 1500s. Also see at length, def. 2.

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at long last

see under at last.

at (long) ˈlast

at the end of a period of waiting, trying etc.; finally: At long last she’s got a job in a theatre in Stratford.

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at last

After a considerable length of time; finally.

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at long last

After a lengthy or troublesome wait or delay: At long last the winter was over.

at long last

Finally, after a long delay. The expression has been traced to the sixteenth century and was usually put as “at the long last,” last then being a noun meaning “duration.” Eric Partridge cited its perhaps most famous use, the opening words of the abdication speech of King Edward VIII in 1935, when he gave up the British throne in order to marry a divorced woman. By then it had long been a cliché.