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• ex
  ex

  preposition

  without, not including, or without the right to have.
• EX
  EX

  abbreviation

  extinct.
• ex-
  ex-

  a prefix meaning “out of,” “from,” and hence “utterly,” “thoroughly,” and sometimes meaning “not” or “without” or indicating a former title, status, etc.; freely used as an English formative: exstipulate; exterritorial; ex-president (former president); ex-member; ex-wife .
• ex.
  ex.

  abbreviation

  examination.
• Ex.
  Ex.

  abbreviation

  Exodus.

ex

¹ American  

[eks] / ɛks /

preposition

1. Finance. without, not including, or without the right to have.

   ex interest; ex rights.

2. Commerce. free of charges to the purchaser until the time of removal from a specified place or thing.

   ex ship; ex warehouse; ex elevator.

3. (in U.S. colleges and universities) from, but not graduated with, the class of.

   ex '47.

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ex ² American  

[eks] / ɛks /

noun

Informal.

1. a former spouse or a former partner in a long-term romantic relationship; ex-wife, ex-husband, or ex-lover.

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ex ³ American  

[eks] / ɛks /

noun

1. the letter X, x.

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ex ⁴ American  

[eks] / ɛks /

adjective

Slang.

1. excellent.

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EX ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Biology, Ecology. extinct.

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ex- ⁶ American  

1. a prefix meaning “out of,” “from,” and hence “utterly,” “thoroughly,” and sometimes meaning “not” or “without” or indicating a former title, status, etc.; freely used as an English formative: exstipulate; exterritorial; ex-president (former president); ex-member; ex-wife .

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ex- ⁷ American  

1. variant of exo-.

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ex- ⁸ American  

1. a prefix identical in meaning with ex- 1, occurring before vowels in words of Greek origin: exarch; exegesis .

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ex. ⁹ American  

abbreviation

1. examination.

2. examined.

3. example.

4. except.

5. exception.

6. exchange.

7. excursion.

8. executed.

9. executive.

10. express.

11. extra.

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Ex. ¹⁰ American  

abbreviation

Bible.

1. Exodus.

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ex- ¹ British  

prefix

1. out of; outside of; from

   exclosure

   exurbia

2. former

   ex-wife

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ex ² British  

/ ɛks /

preposition

1. finance not participating in; excluding; without

   ex bonus

   ex dividend

   ex rights

2. commerce without charge to the buyer until removed from

   ex quay

   ex ship

   ex works

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ex ³ British  

/ ɛks /

noun

1. informal (a person's) former wife, husband, etc

2. short for examination

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Ex. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. Exodus

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ex- ⁵ British  

combining form

1. a variant of exo-

   exergonic

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Etymology

Origin of ex¹

First recorded in 1835–45; from Latin; see ex- ¹

Origin of ex²

First recorded in 1820–30; by shortening

Origin of ex⁴

First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening

Origin of ex-⁶

< Latin, combining form of ex, ē (preposition) out (of ), from, beyond

Origin of ex-⁸

From Greek combining form of ex, ek, “out (of), from, beyond”; see ec-, ex- ¹

Example Sentences

The Sorbonne has said the "Moliere Ex Machina" project was aimed at "bringing to life a world that never was, but could have been", and acknowledged its attempt to imitate Moliere "was bold, almost sacrilegious".

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Liam "Gatsby" Blackwell, once of Towie, wrote "miss you already brother," while Ex on the Beach's Brandon Myers said: "Lost for words bro. Amazing memories with you mate."

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Xbox Ex: Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s top gaming exec, is set to retire after 38 years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

In a statement, Fed Ex said it had contingency plans in place to move “time-sensitive” and “critical shipments” such as lifesaving pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025

She wondered if it was from Curt, just as she wondered if he followed the blog, and what he thought of being referred to as The Hot White Ex.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• earlier
• past
• preceding