Word
except
Phoneticsex·cept, stress on the second syllable
US/ɪkˈsɛpt/
UK/ɛksˈɛpt/
Definitions
01not including
A2 · Elementary
prep. not including a particular person or thing.
prep. used to introduce an exception to a general statement. It functions as a preposition followed by a noun or pronoun.
日本語:以外※
“The museum is open every day except Monday.”
“The entire department attended the gala except the senior manager, who had to remain at the office to handle an emergency.”
Pitfall
Everyone except I was invited.
Everyone except me was invited.
When 'except' is a preposition, use the object form of the pronoun (me, him, her, us, them).
Antonyms
02but / only
B1 · Intermediate
conj. used before a statement that explains why something is not possible or true.
conj. used to introduce a clause that forms an exception to what has just been said.
日本語:ただ※
“I would have arrived on time, except the bus was late.”
“The renovation was completed ahead of schedule, except that the final inspection revealed several minor electrical faults.”
03to object
C2 · Proficiency Formal · Archaic
v. to disagree or argue against something.
v. to take exception or object to a statement or action. This intransitive use is typically followed by the preposition 'to'.
“The lawyer excepted to the witness's statement during the trial.”
“The minority shareholders excepted to the proposed merger, arguing that the valuation of the company was significantly underestimated.”
Teaching tip
This sense is rare in modern English; students will mostly encounter 'take exception to' instead.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “except” in context.
Verb
01. agree with everything except
“I agree with everything except the final paragraph of your report.”
verb + prep + noun
02. know nothing except
“The witness claimed to know nothing except the time of the accident.”
verb + noun
03. open every day except
“The local library is open every day except Sunday.”
verb + adj + noun
Adjective
04. empty except for
“The large room was completely empty except for a single wooden chair.”
adj + prep
05. quiet except for
“The house was very quiet except for the sound of the rain outside.”
adj + prep
Preposition
06. everyone except the teacher
“Everyone except the teacher had already left the classroom.”
prep + noun
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French excepter, from Latin exceptus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
PREPOSITION
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/except
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0