ex

1 of 8

noun (1)

: one that formerly held a specified position or place
especially : a former spouse or former partner in an intimate relationship

ex

2 of 8

noun (2)

: the letter x

ex

3 of 8

preposition

1
: out of : from: such as
a
: from a specified place or source
b
: from a specified dam
a promising calf by Eric XVI ex Heatherbell
2
: free from : without: such as
a
: without an indicated value or right
used especially of securities
b
: free of charges precedent to removal from the specified place with purchaser to provide means of subsequent transportation
ex dock

ex

4 of 8

abbreviation (1)

1
example
2
exchange
3
executive
4
express
5
extra

Ex

5 of 8

abbreviation (2)

Exodus

ex-

6 of 8

prefix (1)

e,
 also occurs in this prefix where only  i,
 is shown below (as in "express") and  ks,
 sometimes occurs where only  is shown (as in "exact") gz
1
: out of : outside
exclave
2
: not
exstipulate
3
(ˌ)eks,
ˈeks
: former
ex-president

ex-

7 of 8

combining form

see exo-

ex-

8 of 8

prefix (2)

variants or before consonants ec-
: out of : away : off
eccentric
ectopic

Examples of ex in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For sure, people should not date their best friend’s exes. Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024 That’s when Ryan Gosling’s stunt performer, Colt Seavers — who is also Jody’s ex — comes into the picture to help find the actor. Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Mar. 2024 Katie and Lala then argued whether Lala’s opinions stemmed from her situation with ex Randall Emmett. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 Weisselberg and another longtime company executive, ex-controller Jeffrey McConney, were barred from ever holding a corporate finance or leadership role in the state. Michael R. Sisak, Quartz, 17 Feb. 2024 In a People cover story following his Super Bowl halftime performance, Usher opened up about his Confessions album, which features several songs with lyrics about a man cheating on his partner with his ex. Christy Piña, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024 The actor was expected to receive his sentence on Tuesday, a month after he was convicted of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Feb. 2024 That could be a hacker, a jealous ex, a relative or even your boss. Kim Komando, Fox News, 22 Jan. 2024 He’s been very open about it and his story matches with information that a mutual friend (of his ex’s) has told me. Shon Faye, Vogue, 12 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ex.' 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

Noun (1)

ex- entry 1

Preposition

Latin

Prefix (1)

borrowed from Latin ex- (before vowels and voiceless consonants), ē- (from *egz-, before voiced consonants), from ex, ē, preposition, "out of, from," going back to Indo-European *h1eḱ-s or *h1eǵh-s, whence also Old Irish a, as "out of, from," Middle Welsh ech, Greek ex, ek, Lithuanian ìš, ìž, Old Church Slavic iz (with unexplained i in Balto-Slavic); (sense 3) borrowed from Late Latin, as in exconsul "former consul," based on Latin ex in the sense "from being, having formerly held (an office)," as in ex assessōre praefectus praetōriī "advanced from the position of judge's assistant to commander of the Praetorian Guard" (Suetonius)

Prefix (2)

borrowed from Greek ex-, ek-, from ex, ek, preposition, "out of, from" — more at ex- entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1827, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1818, in the meaning defined above

Preposition

circa 1755, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ex was circa 1755

Dictionary Entries Near ex

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

ex-

1 of 2 prefix
(ˌ)eks,
ˈeks
: former
ex-president

ex-

2 of 2
see exo-
Etymology

Prefix

from earlier ex- (prefix), from Latin ex- "out of, from"

Medical Definition

ex

abbreviation
1
examined
2
example
3
exercise

Legal Definition

ex-

1 of 2 prefix
: free from : without

Ex.

2 of 2 abbreviation
Exchequer
Etymology

Prefix

Latin ex from, out of

More from Merriam-Webster on ex

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