nothing but

Idioms  

1. Only, as in She thinks of nothing but money. This term was first recorded about 1380.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nothing but

"One day I'm going to wake up in my mother's house – 57 years old with nothing but my stuff in a bag next to the bed."

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

"These buildings are nothing but ticking time bombs," said Ahmed Al-Ajla, whose uncle and other relatives were killed in the collapse.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

When you die, you’d be projected to have about $44,000 left — not nothing, but not as much of a legacy.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

And while his teammates could be distracted by raucous crowds and heckling fans, Pride heard nothing but silence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

He could no longer see the playground equipment and realized for the first time that the swirling dark that he’d thought to be nothing but shadow was in fact inhabited.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• alone
• entirely
• hardly
• merely
• particularly
• purely
• simply
• solely