except

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR except ON THESAURUS.COM

preposition

with the exclusion of; excluding; save; but: They were all there except me.

conjunction

only; with the exception (usually followed by that): parallel cases except that one is younger than the other.

otherwise than; but (followed by an adv., phrase, or clause): well fortified except here.

Archaic. unless.

Idioms

except for, if it were not for: She would travel more except for lack of money.

Origin of except

1350–1400; Middle English: orig., past participle adj. < Latin exceptus (past participle of excipere to take out), equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + -ceptus (combining form of captus, past participle of capere to take)

Synonym study

1. Except (more rarely excepting ), but, save point out something excluded from a general statement. Except emphasizes the excluding: Take any number except 12. But merely states the exclusion: We ate all but one. Save is now mainly found in poetic use: nothing in sight save sky and sea.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for except for

but, except, saving, without, lest

British Dictionary definitions for except for

except

preposition

Also: except for other than; apart from; with the exception ofhe likes everyone except you; except for this mistake, you did very well

except that (conjunction) but for the fact that; were it not true that

conjunction

an archaic word for unless

informal except that; but for the fact thatI would have arrived earlier, except I lost my way

verb

(tr) to leave out; omit; exclude

(intr often foll by to) rare to take exception; object

Word Origin for except

C14: from Old French excepter to leave out, from Latin exceptāre, from excipere to take out, from capere to take

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for except for

except

late 14c., "to receive," from Middle French excepter (12c.), from Latin exceptus, past participle of excipere "take out," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + capere "to take" (see capable). Meaning "to leave out" is from 1510s. Related: Excepted; excepting. Adjectival function led to use as a preposition, conjunction (late 14c.).

Idioms and Phrases with except for

except for

Also, with the exception of. Other than, were it not for. For example, Except for Jack, everyone came to the party, or With the exception of the weather, everything went extremely well. [c. 1600]