preposition
except
ihk-SEHPT
preposition
1
Used to introduce something left out of a general statement.
"Everyone came to the party except Sarah."
conjunction
1
Used to introduce an exception or a reason something didn't happen.
"I would have called, except my phone died."
verb
1
To leave something out or mark it as an exception (a more formal, less common usage).
"Present company excepted, everyone was late."
How to Use Except
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishApart from; leaving one thing out of the rest.
Common mistake
"Except" (to exclude) is often confused with "accept" (to agree to receive) — they sound alike but mean opposite things.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
except for
except that
present company excepted
Word Forms
excepted past tense, excepts singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “except”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Everyone came to the party _____ Sarah.
Etymology
From Middle French excepter, from Latin exceptus, "taken out."