From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishleastleast1 /liːst/ ●●● S1 W1 determiner, pronoun 1 → at least2 → at the (very) least3 → the least4 → not the least/not in the least/not the least bit5 → to say the least6 → the least of somebody’s worries/problems/troubles/concerns7 → it’s the least I can do → last but not least at last2(3)leastleast2 ●●○ adverb 1 LESSless than anything or anyone else OPP most The journey would impose extra expense on those least able to afford it. It is quite amazing what turns up when you are least expecting it. He’s my least favourite member of staff.2 → least of all3 → not least
Examples from the Corpus
least• The people who are least able to afford healthcare are often the ones who need it most.• The tax hits those who can least afford it.• Alex Ferguson will have loved this, not least because questions had started to be asked of his team and star names.• Last but not least, community projects include events such as school quizzes, sheltered shopping and the annual Aberdeen Carnival.• Car problems happen when you least expect them.• Air-conditioning is standard except on the least expensive model.• I was the least experienced member of the expedition.• Portugal would be my least favourite choice.• It is also the explanation of political behavior that has been least fully explored by means of social scientific inquiry.• Not least, it reduces the time in which the specification can be changed.• Which job would you least like to do?• We were the least successful team in the competition.• Not least there are hints on organising your new crew. 