Meaning & use
to a T
Last updated
UK/tu ə ˈtiː/
US/tu ə ˈtiː/
Meaning
phraseidiom
Exactly right in every detail, with nothing missing or out of place.
Grammar: Comes after a verb or its object: it fits me to a T.
Patterns
- suit someone to a T
- fit someone to a T
- describe something to a T
The new job suits her to a T.
Those boots fit me to a T.
He described the thief to a T, down to the scar on his chin.
Common combinations
- suit someone to a T
- The quiet seaside town suits my parents to a T.
- fit to a T
- The jacket fit him to a T.
- know someone to a T
- My sister knows my taste to a T.
- describe to a T
- The witness described the car to a T.
- copy to a T
- She copied the recipe to a T and it still failed.
- cooked to a T
- The steak was cooked to a T.
Synonyms and how they differ
- perfectly
- Perfectly is plain and neutral, while to a T is a more colorful, chatty way to say things match exactly.
- exactly
- Exactly stresses precise accuracy and is used widely, whereas to a T is mostly for fit, taste or description.
- to perfection
- To perfection is usually about doing something, like cooking, as well as it can be done, and it sounds more formal.
- down to the ground
- Down to the ground is a British idiom that means completely suited, but it is used less widely than to a T.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: to a T or to the T?
to a T vs to the T
The usual form is to a T. Some people say to the T, but it is much less common and is generally treated as an error.
Practice
This cozy cabin by the lake suits my grandfather ___.
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom is to a T, meaning exactly right. The other prepositions cannot replace to in this idiom.
Make it your own
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