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

I know that might sound heretical in The Wall Street Journal—ticket pricing usually reflects demand, after all—but the accelerating cost for the average seat to the average major sporting event is annoying, alienating and perilous to the long-term health of these sports.

From The Wall Street Journal

Traders are all but certain the BOE will lower interest rates by a quarter of a point to 3.75% when it makes its announcement at 7 a.m.

From Barron's

As for the IPO, Musk all but confirmed the idea in a recent tweet.

From Barron's

Like Milei, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, a centrist former senator, also inherited a crisis-wracked economy when he took over in November from the Movement Toward Socialism Party, or MAS, which has ruled all but one year since 2006.

From The Wall Street Journal

All but one of the 19 people confirmed dead in the Eaton blaze were on the west side.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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