all but

Idioms  

1. Almost, nearly, as in I've all but finished the book. This expression was used by Andrew Marvell in “Thoughts in a Garden”: “Society is all but rude, To this delicious solitude.” [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

Among these 20 stocks, all but five beat the S&P 500’s five-year price increase of 65% and all but four beat the S&P 500’s five-year total return of 78%.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Tracing anything to the federal government’s rules on mifepristone seemed all but impossible.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

Barring an upset, a June runoff seems all but certain.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

Saturday was a remarkable turnaround for Young, who was all but cooked on Thursday, playing the first seven holes in four over par.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

And whenever I could, I would go with him, not of course to help with Marlene at all, but just because I wanted to be with him.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

• about
• approximately
• around
• essentially
• most
• much
• practically
• relatively
• roughly
• virtually