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

At these schools, there are no excuses, and the achievement gap has all but disappeared.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

It looked to have been a potentially fatal error to his victory hopes on a track where overtaking is all but impossible between evenly matched cars on similar strategies, but Norris stayed calm.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

A US review panel on Friday recommended loosening restrictions on all but one of a buzzy class of peptides, dismissing protests from medical experts who say none are well-studied enough to justify wide access.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Witkoff has become so ubiquitous in international transactions that his role as the co-founder of Trump’s business has all but faded into the gilt wallpaper of the Oval Office.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

It’s difficult to learn it all, but Abuela is patient with me.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

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