as in almost
very close to but not completely
dinner is all but on the table, so don't go anywhere
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for all but
Adverb
-
The majority of what remained was auctioned off by the French state in a wave of republican sentiment almost a hundred years later.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026 -
Last year was almost certainly the first year of the 21st century that preventable child mortality went up rather than down.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Minnie is practically invisible to most of the students at North Little Rock High School, which is what makes her friendship with Callie — the most popular girl in her class — so special.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
AirEssentials Half Zip The AirEssentials line was practically made for Southern springs.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
As of Thursday, that system still had nearly 500 outages.—
ALEX ROZIER Mississippi Today,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Guthrie lives on nearly an acre, in a brown-brick, ranch-style house with an attached garage, a short gravel driveway, and desert landscaping.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
By Thursday, investigators were looking for a man who’s about five feet nine or five feet ten, of average build.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
El Salvador has received about 250 Venezuelan nationals in March last year, while the other nations received far fewer deportees, ranging from 29 sent to Equatorial Guinea to none sent to Palau so far, according to the report.—
STEPHEN GROVES,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“All but.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/all%20but. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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