Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsɛpt/

Definitions of except

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

Example Sentences

A1 I can do everything except cook.

A2 She loves all animals except spiders.

B1 The store is open every day except Sundays.

B2 I have visited every country in Europe except for Russia.

C1 The team has won every game this season except for the one against their rivals.

C2 He has read every book by that author except the latest one.

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

Example Sentences

A1 I like all fruits except bananas.

A2 She knows how to speak every language except Chinese.

B1 The store is open every day except Sundays.

B2 I have visited every country in Europe except for Norway.

C1 The team won every game this season except for the final match.

C2 I have read all of his books except the latest one.

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

Example Sentences

A1 I like all fruits except bananas.

A2 She will go to the party except if it rains.

B1 Everyone passed the test except for John.

B2 I have visited every country in Europe except for Russia.

C1 All the books were interesting except for the last one.

C2 The team won every game this season except for the final match.

Examples of except in a Sentence

formal All students passed the exam except for one.

informal Everyone is going to the party except for Sarah.

slang I like all fruits except durian, it smells terrible.

figurative The garden was beautiful except for the ugly statue in the corner.

Grammatical Forms of except

past tense

excepted

plural

excepts

comparative

more except

superlative

most except

present tense

except

future tense

will except

perfect tense

have excepted

continuous tense

is excepting

singular

except

positive degree

exceptional

infinitive

to except

gerund

excepting

participle

excepted

Origin and Evolution of except

First Known Use: 1350 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'except' originated from Middle English, derived from the Latin word 'exceptus' meaning 'taken out'.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'except' has evolved to be commonly used in English to indicate exclusion or exclusionary conditions.