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

Of the 12 players in the squad, 10 had no intellectual impairment at all, but were keen amateur players who had been recruited months before the Sydney Games to supplement the team.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

And all but three of the sectors show year-to-date gains.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

While the jobs market is seen as important, officials are focused on bringing down prices and an above-forecast reading could make a second successive rate hike all but certain.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Alvarez is all but certain to be named AL MVP, and there is no question about his value.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 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