except 1 of 3

preposition

ik-ˈsept How to pronounce except (audio)
variants also excepting
Definition of exceptnext
as in but
not including the store is open daily except Sundays

Synonyms & Similar Words

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except

2 of 3

verb

1
as in to object
to present an opposing opinion or argument I must except to your remark that there are no great novelists currently living

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to exclude
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of we'll have to except members who haven't paid their club dues from voting in the election

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

except

3 of 3

conjunction

variants also excepting
as in only
if it were not for the fact that I'd go, except it's too far

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of except
Preposition
No one is allowed inside her home except those helping her, White's representative told Today. — Alaa Elassar, CNN, 25 May 2020 Under Supreme Court precedents related to the principles of separation of power, Congress – one branch of government – cannot remove an official in the executive branch – another branch of government – except by impeachment. — Stanley M. Brand, The Conversation, 22 May 2020
Verb
Reasonable excuses that were excepted at the old penalty level included confusion over the rules, health problems, a death in the family, and receiving incorrect advice from either the IRS or a professional advisor. — Bob Carlson, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 The athletes then were swift and skilled, but generally unmuscled, Wilt excepted. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for except
Recent Examples of Synonyms for except
  1. but
  2. object
  3. exclude
  4. besides
  5. complain
  6. ban
  7. beside
  8. eliminate
Preposition
  • Normally, big job losses trigger massive searches for full-time jobs, but this crisis has been anything but normal.
    — Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 1 June 2020
  • Despite the pleas for calm, the nation seemed anything but as a fitful week drew to a close.
    — Robert Klemko, Washington Post, 30 May 2020
Definition of but
Verb
  • For the last five decades, the CZMA has been celebrated as a bipartisan co-management framework that gave coastal and Great Lakes states the power to review and object to federal projects that affect their shorelines.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Skeptics will object that none of this changes Beijing’s ultimate objective.
    — Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of object
Verb
  • Combined with its co-founders' pledge to donate 80% of their equity and an employee donation matching program, roughly 20% of Anthropic's shares will be dedicated to public purposes, excluding any additional shares added later.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Parillo allegedly excluded her from LHS’s management and declared himself the company’s director, president, secretary, and treasurer.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of exclude
Preposition
  • But his death had many contributing factors besides being unable to breath while face down on the ground.
    — Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati.com, 2 June 2020
  • The airline’s crew members and ground services personnel are undergoing detailed health check-ups at regular intervals, besides wearing protective gear at all times.
    — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, 31 May 2020
Definition of besides
Verb
  • That March, a seventy-year-old patient from a wealthy Cypriot family, Evie Lanitis, arrived at BioMed, complaining of a host of minor maladies, including bursitis in her toes, dental pain, and digestive issues.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In the days before the spill was announced, residents complained of fuel-like odors pervading areas of Dubai and north.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of complain
Verb
  • Now all ordinary cars, buses, taxis, private vehicles, (e-)bikes, scooters and pedicabs will be banned between Selfridges and Ikea by Great Portland Street.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Items listed from employee or family and friends sales are sometimes removed, but those sellers will not be banned from the platform.
    — Sophie Lou Wilson, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of ban
Preposition
  • At some military gates, people passed sacks of flour and gas canisters through the gates, while an elderly man pushed his wife in a wheelchair through an opening beside one of them.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • It's composed mainly of a flexible biocompatible polymer, and is adhered to the face beside the eye via a medical adhesive.
    — Ben Coxworth October 23, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of beside
Verb
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a close vote Tuesday, says Iran's leadership must be eliminated.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Its purpose is to help eliminate malignant cells that may remain after surgery, reducing the chance of another tumor taking hold.
    — Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of eliminate

Phrases Containing except

Browse Nearby Words

excels
except
excepted
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Cite this Entry

“Except.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/except. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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