ex
preposition
without, not including, or without the right to have.
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ex
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EX
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ex-
ex-a prefix meaning “out of,” “from,” and hence “utterly,” “thoroughly,” and sometimes meaning “not” or “without” or indicating a former title, status, etc.; freely used as an English formative: exstipulate; exterritorial; ex-president (former president); ex-member; ex-wife .
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ex.
ex.abbreviationexamination.
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Ex.
Ex.abbreviationExodus.
ex
1 American
[eks]
/ ɛks /
preposition
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Finance. without, not including, or without the right to have.
ex interest; ex rights.
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Commerce. free of charges to the purchaser until the time of removal from a specified place or thing.
ex ship; ex warehouse; ex elevator.
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(in U.S. colleges and universities) from, but not graduated with, the class of.
ex '47.
ex
2
American
[eks]
/ ɛks /
noun
Informal.
ex
3
American
[eks]
/ ɛks /
noun
ex
4
American
[eks]
/ ɛks /
adjective
Slang.
EX
5
American
abbreviation
ex-
6
American
ex-
7
American
ex-
8
American
ex.
9
American
abbreviation
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examination.
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examined.
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example.
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except.
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exception.
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exchange.
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excursion.
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executed.
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executive.
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express.
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extra.
Ex.
10
American
abbreviation
Bible.
ex-
1
British
prefix
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out of; outside of; from
exclosure
exurbia
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former
ex-wife
ex
2
British
/ ɛks /
preposition
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finance not participating in; excluding; without
ex bonus
ex dividend
ex rights
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commerce without charge to the buyer until removed from
ex quay
ex ship
ex works
ex
3
British
/ ɛks /
noun
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informal (a person's) former wife, husband, etc
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short for examination
Ex.
4
British
abbreviation
ex-
5
British
combining form
Etymology
Origin of ex1
First recorded in 1835–45; from Latin; see ex- 1
Origin of ex2
First recorded in 1820–30; by shortening
Origin of ex4
First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening
Origin of ex-6
< Latin, combining form of ex, ē (preposition) out (of ), from, beyond
Origin of ex-8
From Greek combining form of ex, ek, “out (of), from, beyond”; see ec-, ex- 1
Vocabulary lists containing ex
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In March last year, the CMS said it would apply for a liability order for Katy's ex, but warned it would take 26 weeks to go to court.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
I had just moved into my new apartment after breaking up with a long-term ex.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
After an ex blocks them by phone and on social media, they can still send a one-cent transfer with a short message begging for forgiveness in the transaction description.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
That judge ruled that my ex did not have to pay anything, and he ignored the previous court orders.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
“That class would be all drama anyway. I can’t be there with my ex, that’s not a healthy environment.”
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
It added it would have a long bonnet to give it a "torpedo-shaped form", drawing inspiration from the company's experimental cars of the 1920s, known as EX models, and the Art Deco era.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
EX Hydrae exists in a binary system alongside a normal main sequence star.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 8, 2026
He tells me it is my job to work it out with his EX.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2022
The electrode potential of a half-cell, EX, is the cell potential of said half-cell acting as a cathode when connected to a SHE acting as an anode.
From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019
EX PEC TA' TION, hope; a looking for.
From Sanders' Union Fourth Reader by Charles W. Sanders
“Integrating Europe’s capital markets to better channel high household savings towards productive investments in the EU will be essential,” ex- European Central Bank President Mario Draghi concluded in his landmark 2024 report on continental competitiveness.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
“What lamentable comments from the ex- president!” tweeted Luis Carlos Ugalde, who served as president of Mexico’s Federal Election Institute during part of Fox’s presidential term.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
An ex- commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army was also sanctioned.
From Reuters ● Mar. 28, 2023
Former colleagues said the ex- Marine Corps officer and former U.S. attorney, who was sworn in as FBI director a week before the 2001 terrorist attacks, is uniquely suited to the task.
From Washington Post ● May 17, 2017
When prefixed to the name of an office, ex- denotes that the person formerly held the office named: as, ex-mayor, the former mayor.
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
“And weird that you’re friends with your ex. Why do you need so much male attention? It’s a huge red flag. I mean, haven’t you seen ‘When Harry Met Sally’?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2024
“On the outside world, I would never date a friend’s ex. I would never befriend your ex.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2023
“A lot of people I’ve talked to are saying this reminds me of my ex. This reminds me of how my ex responded to the breakup,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 13, 2022
Melania responded with a statement including the lines: "There is clearly no substance to this statement from an ex. Unfortunately only attention seeking and self-serving noise."
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2017
Crown 8vo, cl. ex., 5s.; post 8vo, illustrated boards, 2s.
From The Eulogy of Richard Jefferies by Sir Walter Besant
Ex.: “...then my roommate walked in and he... etc.”
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2016
The plain intention of Ex. xii 40, 41 is to describe the Israelites as having dwelt in Egypt for 430 years, which is also in substantial agreement with the earlier passage, Gen. xv.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various
Rock-hewn altars have also been found, illustrating the prohibition in Ex. xx.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2 "Camorra" to "Cape Colony" by Various
So far as the Garden Ex. was concerned, his attitude from the first had been one of sympathetic discouragement.
From The Book of Susan A Novel by Lee Wilson Dodd
The voice of God pronounced the decalogue and, as the Septuagint version renders our Ex. xx.
From Supernatural Religion, Vol. III. (of III) An Inquiry into the Reality of Divine Revelation by Walter Richard Cassels
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
