except
1 Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
preposition
-
Also: except for. other than; apart from; with the exception of
he likes everyone except you
except for this mistake, you did very well
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(conjunction) but for the fact that; were it not true that
conjunction
-
an archaic word for unless
-
informal except that; but for the fact that
I would have arrived earlier, except I lost my way
verb
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(tr) to leave out; omit; exclude
-
rare to take exception; object
Usage
What’s the difference between except and accept? Except is most commonly used as a preposition meaning excluding or but, as in Everyone was invited except me, or as a conjunction meaning but for the fact that, as in I would have called, except I lost my phone. Accept is a common word with many meanings, most of which involve receiving something, taking something on, or putting up with something.Accept is always a verb. Except can also be used as a verb meaning to exclude, as in the common phrase present company excepted, but its verb use is much less common.To remember the difference in the spelling between accept and except, remember that except shares the prefix ex- with exclude, which is fitting since except is commonly used in situations in which someone or something has been excluded.Accept, on the other hand, is often used in situations in which something is acquired.Here’s an example of except and accept used correctly in the same sentence.Example: I usually accept your excuses, except this time I know they’re not true.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between except and accept.
Commonly Confused
See accept.
Related Words
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.
Other Word Forms
- exceptable adjective
- unexceptable adjective
Etymology
Origin of except1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: originally, past participle, from Latin exceptus (past participle of excipere “to take out”), equivalent to ex- + -ceptus (combining form of captus, past participle of capere “to take”); ex- 1
Origin of except2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English excepten, from Middle French excepter, from Latin exceptāre, derivative of exceptus ( except 1 )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Most meetings by now are organised by me except mayors and governors," he wrote.
From BBC
The shake-up might have cheered investors, except that the stock’s plump dividend yield and 70-year history of payout increases will get a rethink at the time of the split.
From Barron's
Why would the algorithm think I’d agree with much of this nonsense, except that my views on Iran have been categorized alongside them?
Demand from other agencies to use Grok has been anemic, people familiar with the matter said, except in a few cases where people wanted to use it to mimic a bad actor for defensive testing.
Who knew her exact age except her husband?
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
