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

Concerned about overly cozy relationships, regulators have effectively barred fiduciaries from entertaining all but the most distant of relationships.

From Barron's

From that breakdown, all but one of them—France’s CAC 40—would have beaten the S&P 500’s return through mid-December even without the dollar’s slide against that market’s local currency.

From The Wall Street Journal

Alice Worthington, from south Bristol, said she "didn't actually need a hygienist appointment at all" but that "it's impossible to find an NHS dentist, so I paid the £70".

From BBC

Kraft Heinz KHC -0.74%decrease; red down pointing triangle has all but owned the supermarket macaroni-and-cheese aisle for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal

With Stewart’s debut feature fresh in the public’s consciousness and garnering awards buzz, it’s peculiar that Kate Winslet — whose pedigree is arguably stronger than Stewart, Dickinson and Johansson’s combined — had her directorial debut all but dumped onto a streamer.

From Salon

Related Words

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