Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

all but

adverb

Definition of all but

  1. :  very nearly :  almost would be all but impossible

See all but defined for English-language learners

See all but defined for kids

Read the Latest from M-W

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz
image1358596246
Words About Word Play
alt-5978b44edfb13
Our (Almost) Final Word on 'Penultimate'
alt-5978a79b75e17
Trending: 'Transgender' Americans Face New Restrictions

Examples of all but in a Sentence

  1. Without you the job would have been all but impossible.

  2. We had all but given up hope.

First Known Use of all but

1590

all but Synonyms

Synonyms
about, almost, borderline, fair [chiefly British], fairly, feckly [chiefly Scottish], more or less, most, much, near, nearly, next to, nigh, practically, somewhere, virtually, well-nigh
Related Words
appreciably, by and large, chiefly, largely, mainly, mostly; kind of, partially, partly, somewhat
Near Antonyms
absolutely, altogether, completely, entirely, fully, plain, plumb [chiefly dialect], quite, thoroughly; totally, utterly, well, wholly; barely, hardly, scarcely

ALL BUT Defined for English Language Learners

all but

adverb

Definition of all but for English Language Learners

  • : very nearly

ALL BUT Defined for Kids

all but

adverb

Definition of all but for Students

  1. :  very nearly :  almost “He is all but forgotten.” — William H. Armstrong, Sounder

Learn More about all but

  1. See words that rhyme with all but Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for all but Nglish: Translation of all but for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up all but? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

fester

play

to become worse as time passes

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. transgender Trump reverses military policy allowing transgender people to serve

  2. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  3. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  4. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  5. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

all but

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5978b44edfb13
Our (Almost) Final Word on 'Penultimate'

The ultimate guide to using penultimate.

alt-5978cb55e8ba5
The Grammatical History of 'Awaken'/'Awoken'/'Awakened'

Or you can just go back to bed.

alt-59775cb5d7779
Words We're Watching: 'Aquafaba'

Don't dump out the bean water just yet...

image1358596246
Words About Word Play

Don't just eat your words—play with them!

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Citation
Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game
Examples: all but in a Sentence