but
but Lexical Profile
but Game Scores & Validity
• conjunction
Used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting with what has already been mentioned.
"She wanted to attend the concert, but the tickets were already sold out."
Used to indicate what is true or the case after a negative statement; on the contrary.
"The lecture was not boring, but rather deeply engaging and informative."
• preposition
Except; apart from; other than.
"Everyone but the team captain had already left the locker room."
• adverb
No more than; only; merely.
"Life is but a brief journey, so we should make the most of every day."
• noun
An objection, reservation, or exception (usually used in the plural).
"Please finish your homework right now, and I do not want to hear any ifs or buts."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'but' (a conjunction or preposition) with 'butt' (a noun meaning the end or bottom of something, or a verb meaning to strike with the head). Despite an older schoolroom superstition, starting a sentence with the coordinating conjunction 'but' is grammatically sound and widely practiced in modern writing.
• Rhymes for but
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'butan', meaning 'outside of, except, or without', formed from the prefix 'be-' (by) and 'utan' (from outside).