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

Forward P/E ratios have declined for all but three of the sectors this year.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Plum averaged 19.5 points and a career-high 5.7 assists, and her 25.4% usage rate was higher than all but one of her years with Vegas, per Basketball Reference.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Unfortunately for her, her decision to speak out about it has all but ensured that no one’s going to forget it anytime soon.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

Linda alone sees how precariously Willy is clinging to life, and Ms. Metcalf’s forceful turn—I was all but pinned to the back of my seat—reveals how savagely she will fight to save Willy from himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

He didn’t move or go to public school after all, but it was too much of the same stuff all the time, and I just didn't want to hear it.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

Related Words

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