all but


How to use the phrase “all but”

 

 “All but” has two meanings:-

“almost or very nearly”

and

“all except”.

 

Examples of “all but” with meaning “almost or very nearly”

 “I’m all but against bullying.”,

 it means that you are almost against bullying, but not totally so.

“These two are all but married.”,

meaning that their wedding day is not far off.

“The exams were all but over when he fell ill and had to miss the last paper.”

This means that he fell ill towards the very end of the exam period.

 “all but” with meaning “all except”

“All but one of her classmates got an A in Modern Maths.”

This means that only one of her classmates didn’t get an A in the subject.

“The class bully intimidated all but me.”

This means that I was the only person in the class who was not frightened of the class bully.

Leave a comment