but what
phrase
: that … not
—used to indicate possibility or uncertainty
I don't know but what I will go.
Examples of but what in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That is not new, but what may be new today is the way that employees need or look for emotional support at work, especially in the face of anxieties about AI, economic uncertainty, and social and political polarization.
—
Holly Corbett,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Because, after all, as in all of Haber’s novels, the point is not really what is happening in the world but what is happening in the mind—in this case the mind of the pettiest of tyrants.
—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2026
Debt doesn't just disappear because the person who owed it has died, but what about the interest charges?
—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
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Holly Corbett,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Because, after all, as in all of Haber’s novels, the point is not really what is happening in the world but what is happening in the mind—in this case the mind of the pettiest of tyrants.
—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 July 2026
Debt doesn't just disappear because the person who owed it has died, but what about the interest charges?
—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Cite this Entry
“But what.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/but%20what. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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