All but
All but adverb - Very close to but not completely.
Both terms in one sentence
- The battle in the Cathedral in Claymore, Clare comes close falling and becoming a Youma herself, but ultimately pulls back and from that point on is all but immune to turning.
Source: Belly of the Whale -
And yet, he has all but destroyed the Moon in the backstory and will do the same to the Earth in close future.
Source: Manga / Assassination Classroom -
A is the Bittersweet Ending: Aeron defeats Zeron, but Elena is still cursed, so he and Elena sacrifice themselves to close the Scar, and their efforts are forgotten by all but the Vestra.
Source: Video Game / Pandora's Tower
Cite this Source
Close and All but. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 27, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/all_but/close
All but & Close. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/all_but/close>.
Close or All but. 2016. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/all_but/close.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "all but" and "close" have occurred on timeline