except for

preposition

1

: with the exception of

everyone was gone except for me

2

: were it not for

except for you I would be dead

Synonyms

• apart from
• aside from
• bar
• barring
• beside
• besides
• but
• except
• excepting
• excluding
• exclusive of
• other than
• outside
• outside of
• save
• saving

Examples of except for in a Sentence

except for newscasts, I hardly watch any television at all

Recent Examples on the Web

Rod Metzer, right, is seen in a zoomed in image from security video purchasing zip ties at a Lowe's store on Dec. 30, 2020 Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Rachel Ashe: This was during COVID and this was during a period where everybody was wearing a mask, except for Rodney Metzer. —Nikki Battiste, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2024

To give you the Reader’s Digest version, though, Sweeney, whose insistence on having breasts has prompted some of the most unhinged discourse of 2024, posted dozens of shots from tabloid comment sections (the unhappiest place on earth, except for X). —Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 14 Dec. 2024

What time zone is Phoenix in? Phoenix — and most of Arizona, except for the Navajo Nation — observes Mountain Standard Time year-round. —Olivia Rose, The Arizona Republic, 14 Dec. 2024

Donald Trump’s voters were motivated by white grievance, except for the people of color who were motivated by economic anxiety; ultimately, the main issue was the patriarchy, exacerbated by misinformation on long-form podcasts, although of course Harris should have gone on Rogan. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

except for

preposition

: with the exception of : but for

all A's except for a B in Latin