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except
1[ ik-sept ]
preposition
- with the exclusion of; excluding; save; but:
They were all there except me.
except
2[ ik-sept ]
verb (used with object)
- 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)
- to object (usually followed by to or against ):
to except to a statement;
to except against a witness.
except
/ ɪkˈsɛpt /
preposition
- Alsoexcept for other than; apart from; with the exception of
he likes everyone except you
except for this mistake, you did very well
- except thatconjunction but for the fact that; were it not true that
conjunction
- an archaic word for unless
- informal.except that; but for the fact that
I would have arrived earlier, except I lost my way
verb
- tr to leave out; omit; exclude
- rare.introften foll byto to take exception; object
Confusables Note
Other Words From
- ex·cept·a·ble adjective
- un·ex·cept·a·ble adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of except1
Idioms and Phrases
- except for, if it were not for:
She would travel more except for lack of money.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Except the Braves did not win 14 straight pennants (they did win 14 straight division titles), and Smoltz is a also Republican.
I always wanted to have a career like his—except for the stopping work thing.
In fact, Mexico buys and sells more US goods than any other country on the planet except for Canada.
Except, Nomadness currently has 3,000 pending membership requests.
Author J.K. Rowling says all religions are present at her beloved wizard school—except Wiccans.
In fact, except for Ramona's help, it would have been a question whether even Alessandro could have made Baba work in harness.
I haven't much time for seeing any one, except my patients, and the people I meet in society.
The patriarchal decree of the government was a good deal of a joke on the plains, anyway—except when you were caught defying it!
The camp grew still, except for the rough and ready cook pottering about the fire, boiling buffalo-meat and mixing biscuit-dough.
Who he could not make out, except that it was a Kirton: and it prayed him to hasten down immediately.
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Related Words
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.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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