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

Down and down they went, their buffer all but removed, their obsession about results elsewhere in the coming days multiplying as they went.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

So far, all but two of the UFO ETF’s top 10 holdings have seen their stock prices decline in June.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

Heroism’s great and all, but nothing ensures immortality like putting on a good show.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026

That success, and the money that nourishes it, has battalions of fans beyond Los Angeles all but marching outside ballparks with picket signs reading “SALARY CAP NOW.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026

I kicked out feebly, my strength all but gone, like the air in my lungs.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

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