English · Word Candidate

but

/ˈbʌt/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: buts

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Apart from, except (for), excluding.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ngoài, trừ, loại trừ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Preposition

Examples

Everyone but Father left early.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Outside of.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

ngoài phạm vi của

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Preposition

Examples

Away but the hoose and tell me whae's there.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Merely, only, just, no more than.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

chỉ, đơn giản là, không hơn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

AdverbRegister: literary

Examples

Christmas comes but once a year, so we can but wait till then.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Though, however.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

mặc dù, tuy nhiên

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adverb

Examples

I'll have to go home early but.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “but” mean?

Apart from, except (for), excluding.

Is “but” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.