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

See Examples For:

all but

The Upper Trishuli-1 project, which has been all but destroyed after last week's floods, was one of Nepal's largest foreign direct investment ventures, valued at about $647m.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

August alone saw two other films of varying quality, “The Last House” and “Don’t Say Good Luck,” all but dumped onto the platform with relatively little to no fanfare.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

With the Strait of Hormuz all but closed by Iranian forces, the gulf could serve as an escape route for Middle East oil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Since making his U.S. debut in January 2022, he has won a dozen races, all but one in a graded stakes, and earned more than $2.5 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

They were penniless, so deep in debt that they were all but buried alive by it, only for the butcher to offer a hand, and a house, and food enough for them all.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

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