except

¹

[ ik-sept ]

preposition

1. with the exclusion of; excluding; save; but:

   They were all there except me.

conjunction

1. only; with the exception (usually followed by that ):

   parallel cases except that one is younger than the other.

2. otherwise than; but (followed by an adv., phrase, or clause):

   well fortified except here.

3. Archaic. unless.

except

²

[ ik-sept ]

verb (used with object)

1. to exclude from or leave out of a particular category:

   Surveys that are used exclusively for certain educational purposes are excepted from these requirements.

verb (used without object)

1. to object (usually followed by to or against ):

   to except to a statement;

   to except against a witness.

except

/ ɪkˈsɛpt /

preposition

1. Alsoexcept for other than; apart from; with the exception of

   he likes everyone except you

   except for this mistake, you did very well

2. except that
   conjunction but for the fact that; were it not true that

conjunction

1. an archaic word for unless
2. informal.
   except that; but for the fact that

   I would have arrived earlier, except I lost my way

verb

1. tr to leave out; omit; exclude
2. rare.
   introften foll byto to take exception; object

Confusables Note

See accept.

Other Words From

• ex·cept·a·ble adjective
• un·ex·cept·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of except¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: originally, past participle, from Latin exceptus (past participle of excipere “to take out”), equivalent to ex- + -ceptus (combining form of captus, past participle of capere “to take”); ex- ¹

Origin of except²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English excepten, from Middle French excepter, from Latin exceptāre, derivative of exceptus ( except ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of except¹

C14: from Old French excepter to leave out, from Latin exceptāre, from excipere to take out, from capere to take

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. except for, if it were not for:

   She would travel more except for lack of money.

Synonym Study

Except (more rarely excepting ), but, save point out something excluded from a general statement. Except emphasizes the excluding: Take any number except 12. But merely states the exclusion: We ate all but one. Save is now mainly found in poetic use: nothing in sight save sky and sea.

Example Sentences

As a person neither young, though young-ish — except, of course, in spirit — I did have to look up a couple of them.

From Los Angeles Times

These transfers violate UN sanctions, which ban countries from selling oil to North Korea, except in small quantities, in an attempt to stifle its economy to prevent it from further developing nuclear weapons.

From BBC

This happens everywhere except for the very top of the skull to give the brain space to grow.

From BBC

All of these infections occurred in farmworkers who came into contact with infected cows or poultry, except one case in Missouri in which health officials could not track the origins of the infection.

From Salon

The researchers found that shifts to three of the four diets examined -- all except the FBDGs -- resulted in reductions in global cumulative pressure.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• save

Except Vs. Accept

What’s the difference between except and accept?

Except is most commonly used as a preposition meaning excluding or but, as in Everyone was invited except me, or as a conjunction meaning but for the fact that, as in I would have called, except I lost my phone. Accept is a common word with many meanings, most of which involve receiving something, taking something on, or putting up with something.

Accept is always a verb. Except can also be used as a verb meaning to exclude, as in the common phrase present company excepted, but its verb use is much less common.

To remember the difference in the spelling between accept and except, remember that except shares the prefix ex- with exclude, which is fitting since except is commonly used in situations in which someone or something has been excluded.

Accept, on the other hand, is often used in situations in which something is acquired.

Here’s an example of except and accept used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: I usually accept your excuses, except this time I know they’re not true.

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between except and accept.

Quiz yourself on except vs. accept!

Should except or accept be used in the following sentence?

The cake was great _____ for the icing, which was a little too sweet.