From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishall butall butALMOSTalmost completely Britain’s coal industry has all but disappeared. His left arm was all but useless. → all
Examples from the Corpus
all but• It is said that the seafloor is a desert, a vast and uniform wasteland, all but devoid of life.• Sometimes it seems home baking is a tradition that has all but disappeared.• "Can we go home now?" "Just one moment - I've all but finished my work."• The players should therefore be treated like the professionals they are in all but name, and be paid for their work.• Bidding continues until all but one eligible candidate remains.• They are spreading the idea that the contest is already all but over.• By now the war was all but over.• However, for Moi, this has all but stopped.• I was the only woman on all but two of those twenty boards.• She has missed all but two of twelve attempts tonight.• Every UMass player saw action, and all but two played at least 10 minutes. 