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except

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To except is defined as to leave out or take out one when you include everything else.

(verb)

An example of to except is to serve everyone dinner, but not yourself.

Except is defined as something said when one action depends on another action, or to show a variation in action.

(conjunction)

An example of except is when you would go swimming but you have not brought a bathing suit.
An example of except is to say that a person never drives their car during the week but they drive their car on the weekends.

See except in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb

to leave out or take out; make an exception of; exclude; omit

Origin: ME excepten < OFr excepter < L exceptare, to take out, except < exceptus, pp. of excipere < ex-, out + capere, to take: see have

intransitive verb

Now Rare to object; take exception: with to or against: to except to a remark

leaving out; omitting; other than; but: to everyone except me

Origin: ME < L exceptus

conjunction

Archaic unless
Informal were it not true; only: often followed by that: I'd quit except that I need the money
otherwise than: she doesn't leave home except to attend church

See except in American Heritage Dictionary 4

preposition

With the exclusion of; other than; but: everyone except me.

conjunction

If it were not for the fact that; only. Often used with that: I would buy the suit, except that it costs too much.
Otherwise than: They didn't open their mouths except to complain.
Unless: “And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st/Except it be to pray against thy foes” (Shakespeare).

verb ex·cept·ed, ex·cept·ing, ex·cepts

verb, transitive

To leave out; exclude: An admission fee is charged, but children are excepted.

verb, intransitive

To object: Counsel excepted to the court's ruling.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Latin exceptus

Origin: , past participle of excipere, to exclude

Origin: : ex-, ex-

Origin: + capere, to take; see kap- in Indo-European roots

Usage Note: Except in the sense of “with the exclusion of” or “other than” is generally viewed as a preposition, not a conjunction. Therefore, a personal pronoun that follows except should be in the objective case: No one except me knew it. Everyone had a ticket except her.

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