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

Pay an additional $1 to add the Power Play for a chance to multiply all Powerball winnings except for the jackpot. —Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 6 May 2024

Officers lifted him back onto his bunk, leaving him unconscious and naked except for a covering draped over his groin. —Glenn Thrush Carlos Javier Ortiz, New York Times, 5 May 2024

Most of Houston's city limits were not heavily impacted by the weather, except for the northeastern neighborhood of Kingwood. —CBS News, 4 May 2024

All offer ninth to 12th grade, except for No. 8: 1. —Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024

All of my family lives in South Carolina, literally, except for a second cousin who lives in Chicago. —Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 2 May 2024

But fighters entered the house and killed or abducted everyone inside, except for his father who hid in the bathroom. —Sam Mednick, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024

Long and skinny, with light fur everywhere except for their black face masks, feet and tail tips, the mammals are nocturnal and mostly live underground. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024

So for the first year, the uniforms are identical except for color schemes. —David Waldstein Mimi D’autremont, New York Times, 19 Apr. 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