What does “but” mean?
- 1
conjunctionused to add something different or surprising
It’s small but very comfortable.
- 2
prepositionexcept
Everyone but Tom came to the party.
But at a glance
- Part of speech
- conjunction & preposition
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /bʌt/ · BUT
How to use “but” correctly
“Not only ... but also” joins two points: “She’s not only smart but also kind.”
Common phrases with “but”
- but also
- nothing but
- all but
Synonyms, opposites and related words
“but” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- and conjunctionA1used to join words or parts of a sentence
- because conjunctionA1for the reason that
- if conjunctionA1used to say that something happens only when something else happens
- or conjunctionA1used to join possibilities or choices
- than conjunctionA1used to compare two things or people
- although conjunctionB1used to introduce an idea that makes the main idea surprising
- nor conjunctionB1used after “neither” to add another negative choice
- though conjunctionB1despite the fact that