How to Use except in a Sentence

except

1 of 2 preposition
  • The stores will be open daily except Sundays.
  • No one knows Giesler too much, except those who played with him.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun-Sentinel.com, 10 July 2018
  • All parties except some on the far left and the far right have signed it.
    — The Economist, 21 Nov. 2019
  • Same scenario, except this time a small buck walked out, with the big boy on his heels.
    — Pj Delhomme, Outdoor Life, 1 Jan. 2020
  • Deer are more likely to eat poinciana but may not do so except in deep drought.
    — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 18 May 2018
  • Think of it like their form of body odor, except a little better smelling.
    — Jo Yurcaba, Woman's Day, 2 Jan. 2020
  • So far so good, except the room could have been anybody’s home office.
    — Marni Jameson, OrlandoSentinel.com, 14 Mar. 2018
  • So far so good, except the room could have been anybody's home office.
    — Contributing Writer, NOLA.com, 12 Mar. 2018
  • There’s no reason to throw him a fastball, none, except as a mix pitch.
    — Emma Span, SI.com, 24 Oct. 2017
  • Which might have been okay except that my personal life was also a mess.
    — Liz Melchor, Marie Claire, 6 Mar. 2018
  • No friends and family to meet you with food or socks except at the camp between loops.
    — David G. Allan, CNN, 26 May 2018
  • Royals are done, except maybe a Wildcard, which looks like a long shot.
    — Sam Mellinger, kansascity, 12 Sep. 2017
  • There's nothing left in me except to go to my hotel room, take a shower and go to bed.
    — Michael O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Apr. 2018
  • Every day has the vague outlines of training camp, except there are games, too.
    — Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2019
  • In the jail where my father lived, everyone except the guards wore cheap slip-ons with thin soles.
    — Joshua Hunt, The New Republic, 18 Sep. 2019
  • No one in high school knew except my best friend Starr and my history teacher.
    — Jeneé Osterheldt, kansascity, 10 July 2018
  • Both markets are open daily, except Christmas, through the end of the year.
    — Joseph Hernandez, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Dec. 2019
  • Governments simply do not know how to deal with this—except, that is, for those that embrace it.
    — The Economist, 4 Nov. 2017
  • For all other age groups, except those 75 or older, more than half of households own stocks.
    — Stan Choe, The Seattle Times, 28 Jan. 2019
  • All work except landscaping is expected to be finished by the end of the month.
    — Ramona Sentinel, 15 Sep. 2017
  • All of the award namesakes were on hand to present their trophies except Cousy, who is 90.
    — Beth Harris, The Seattle Times, 12 Apr. 2019
  • The fair board recently banned signs except in areas where vendors and others have paid a fee to use them.
    — USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2019
  • But the issue with this can be that often, things don't sell and you're left with the same amount of clothes except some are now in a laundry bag.
    — Alyssa Hardy, Teen Vogue, 11 Jan. 2019
  • This was fine, except there was nothing to catch the meds, toothpaste caps, tweezers, car keys and anything else that dropped in the sink.
    — Chris Erskine, latimes.com, 8 June 2018
  • There is not much else to do except enjoy the tournament, and speculate as to what might have happened.
    — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, 27 June 2018
  • These prices aren't much more than a round-trip economy flight for the same journey, except roomettes are much more comfortable.
    — Bridget Hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 June 2018
  • Nevins declined to discuss the findings, except to say that the campaign did not conduct two surveys in one week.
    — Bill Turque, kansascity, 4 Nov. 2017
  • The same goes for the film’s women, Earl’s family, who don’t have much to do except be mad at him or forgive him.
    — Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, 14 Dec. 2018
  • Harper wanted to get in on the action and held up her hand for a high five, except David initially missed it.
    — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 June 2019
  • Indeed, nothing is certain, except that there is a very long way to go, and that the election will be bitterly fought.
    — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 19 June 2019

except

2 of 2 verb
  • Children were excepted from the study.
  • I must except to your remark that there are no great novelists currently living.
  • Now there was no one close to her, excepting this image of herself.
    — Mathias Énard, Harper's Magazine, 11 Oct. 2023
  • The system worked great, excepting the start.
    — Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Plus, most of the set is dishwasher-safe, excepting the whisk and tea tray.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Nov. 2025
  • This excepts the sort where staffers in toques prepare crab omelets to order and the champagne flows freely.
    — Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, 2 Oct. 2019
  • By-the-glass wines, sparklers excepted, are kegged, and there are a dozen of those (each at $12 per glass).
    — Phil Vettel, chicagotribune.com, 5 Sep. 2019
  • Their pitching last year was the worst in the league, excepting Detroit.
    — Tom Verducci, SI.com, 14 Dec. 2017
  • Vesterålen seems to be excepted from reality—a lush mirage in a landscape that should be cold and barren.
    — Mallory Farrugia, Vogue, 14 Nov. 2019
  • Diplomats, however, had been excepted and some have been trying to bend the rules to bring in their families.
    — Alissa J. Rubin, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2020
  • Bar mitzvah excepted, Michael Dorf says that his affinity for wine began in high school.
    — Frank Digiacomo, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
  • The teams exchanged punts the remainder of the half, excepting one notable carry by Campbell.
    — Jack Marrion, Houston Chronicle, 2 Dec. 2019
  • As is usually the case with historic homes, and excepting a small gallery space on the second floor, explanatory text and labels are not used.
    — Laura Jacobs, WSJ, 2 July 2018
  • The first man to test-fire it, excepting ArmaLite employees, was John Wayne.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
  • At least on the Eastern Seaboard, everyone–excepting the rich–is dangerously hot and filled with gripes.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2025
  • The teen is excepted to be arraigned on Monday in New Bedford juvenile court.
    — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
  • The athletes then were swift and skilled, but generally unmuscled, Wilt excepted.
    — David Remnick, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
  • Along with Scott taking over at left tackle, third-year guard Forrest Lamp is excepted to play off the bench against the Colts.
    — Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2019
  • This is a colossal achievement that nobody excepted from a group that started when JFK was president.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2023
  • Minnesota is excepted to have a few more openings for high school players in this recruiting cycle and offensive line slots have vacancies.
    — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Out in the main hall, bussers are posted to clear tables, while patrons order from kiosks at each concept (excepting the bakery and Tia Loca).
    — Erin Podolsky, Detroit Free Press, 28 Apr. 2018
  • Last year excepted the Giants are generally in the October mix.
    — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 15 Jan. 2018
  • Google gets top marks for the exterior of the Pixel Slate (keyboard excepted), but the interior is where things start to get messy.
    — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, 27 Nov. 2018
  • Fans excepting family were shut out of Big Ten sporting events, cutting deep holes into athletics budgets.
    — Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Mar. 2023
  • Total snow accumulations between 12 and 22 inches are excepted across most of the state.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The games rule Card and board games are great gifts, often inexpensive, fun for many ages – excepting babies, of course – and capable of holding attention for a long time.
    — Angela J. Narayan, The Conversation, 19 Dec. 2025
  • In our Big 4 games hands are crucial to most of the key players (offensive and defensive linemen generally excepted).
    — Bob Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2018
  • Other piggyback options include Ryan Yarbrough or Paul Blackburn, two swingmen who are excepted to be in the bullpen.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Or the lack of flowers or anything fresh, excepting an enormous bowl of seemingly eternal Granny Smith Apples on the central table.
    — Beth Segal, cleveland.com, 14 July 2017
  • No one has played more basketball than the Warriors over the past four seasons, excepting the seemingly ageless LeBron James.
    — Al Saracevic, SFChronicle.com, 23 May 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'except.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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