ex

¹ American  

[eks] / ɛks /

preposition

1. Finance. without, not including, or without the right to have.

   ex interest; ex rights.

2. Commerce. free of charges to the purchaser until the time of removal from a specified place or thing.

   ex ship; ex warehouse; ex elevator.

3. (in U.S. colleges and universities) from, but not graduated with, the class of.

   ex '47.

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ex ² American  

[eks] / ɛks /

noun

Informal.

1. a former spouse or a former partner in a long-term romantic relationship; ex-wife, ex-husband, or ex-lover.

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ex ³ American  

[eks] / ɛks /

noun

1. the letter X, x.

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ex ⁴ American  

[eks] / ɛks /

adjective

Slang.

1. excellent.

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EX ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Biology, Ecology. extinct.

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ex- ⁶ American  

1. 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- ⁷ American  

1. variant of exo-.

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ex- ⁸ American  

1. a prefix identical in meaning with ex- 1, occurring before vowels in words of Greek origin: exarch; exegesis .

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ex. ⁹ American  

abbreviation

1. examination.

2. examined.

3. example.

4. except.

5. exception.

6. exchange.

7. excursion.

8. executed.

9. executive.

10. express.

11. extra.

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Ex. ¹⁰ American  

abbreviation

Bible.

1. Exodus.

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ex- ¹ British  

prefix

1. out of; outside of; from

   exclosure

   exurbia

2. former

   ex-wife

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ex ² British  

/ ɛks /

preposition

1. finance not participating in; excluding; without

   ex bonus

   ex dividend

   ex rights

2. commerce without charge to the buyer until removed from

   ex quay

   ex ship

   ex works

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ex ³ British  

/ ɛks /

noun

1. informal (a person's) former wife, husband, etc

2. short for examination

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Ex. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. Exodus

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ex- ⁵ British  

combining form

1. a variant of exo-

   exergonic

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Etymology

Origin of ex¹

First recorded in 1835–45; from Latin; 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”; ec-, ex- ¹

Example Sentences

On his return to south Wales he was arrested on suspicion of kidnap when he described Veisi as his carer rather than his ex wife.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

She responded, again, that she could not talk with him ex parte.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

Because your ex isn’t being proactive, your instinct might be to push harder.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

It’s been profoundly disorienting to hear mainstream commentators, including some who identify as liberals, flirting once again with the phrase “regime change,” as if they were late-night texting that seductive bad-boy ex they can’t resist.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

In honor of Miss Barrie, my eighth-grade teacher, I’d like to call attention to the quotation above: ex ovo omnia.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• earlier
• past
• preceding