except

1 of 3

preposition

ex·​cept ik-ˈsept How to pronounce except (audio)
variants or less commonly excepting
: with the exclusion or exception of
daily except Sundays

except

2 of 3

verb

excepted; excepting; excepts

transitive verb

: to take or leave out from a number or a whole : exclude
exceptive adjective

except

3 of 3

conjunction

variants or less commonly excepting
1
: on any other condition than that : unless
except you repent
2
: with this exception, namely
was inaccessible except by boat
3
: only
often followed by that
I would go except that it's too far

Examples of except in a Sentence

Preposition The stores will be open daily except Sundays. the store is open daily except Sundays Verb Children were excepted from the study. I must except to your remark that there are no great novelists currently living. Conjunction I'd go, except it's too far.
Recent Examples on the Web
Preposition
At Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort, face masks are required in public areas, except when dining or swimming, capacity of public areas will be limited, and housekeeping and public area attendants will increase their cleaning procedures. Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 4 June 2020 The city advised all residents to stay inside except those going to and from work and anyone seeking or giving emergency care, according to Mayor Eric Garcetti's official Twitter account. NBC News, 1 June 2020 See all Example Sentences for except 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'except.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French excepter, from Latin exceptare, frequentative of excipere to take out, except, from ex- + capere to take — more at heave entry 1

First Known Use

Preposition

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Conjunction

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of except was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near except

Cite this Entry

“Except.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/except. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

except

1 of 3 preposition
ex·​cept ik-ˈsept How to pronounce except (audio)
variants also excepting
1
: not including
daily except Sundays
2
: with the exception of
take no orders except from me

except

2 of 3 verb
: to leave out from a number or a whole : exclude, omit

except

3 of 3 conjunction
variants also excepting
1
: if it were not for the fact that : only
I'd go, except it's too far
2
: with this exception, namely
was impossible to get to except by boat
Etymology

Verb

Middle English excepten "to take or leave out," from early French excepter (same meaning), derived from Latin excipere "to take out," from ex- "out" and capere "to take" — related to accept, capture, intercept

Legal Definition

except

transitive verb
ex·​cept
ik-ˈsept
: to take or leave out (as from insurance coverage or a deed) : exclude
specifically excepted the air carriers and unions from the provisionsM. A. Kelly

intransitive verb

: object
especially : to file a bill of exceptions or make a formal exception
excepted to the judge's order

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