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The Meaning of but

  • (adv. & conj.) Except with; unless with; without.
  • (adv. & conj.) Except; besides; save.
  • (adv. & conj.) Excepting or excluding the fact that; save that; were it not that; unless; -- elliptical, for but that.
  • (adv. & conj.) Otherwise than that; that not; -- commonly, after a negative, with that.
  • (adv. & conj.) Only; solely; merely.
  • (adv. & conj.) On the contrary; on the other hand; only; yet; still; however; nevertheless; more; further; -- as connective of sentences or clauses of a sentence, in a sense more or less exceptive or adversative; as, the House of Representatives passed the bill, but the Senate dissented; our wants are many, but quite of another kind.
  • (prep., adv. & conj.) The outer apartment or kitchen of a two-roomed house; -- opposed to ben, the inner room.
  • (n.) A limit; a boundary.
  • (n.) The end; esp. the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end. See 1st Butt.
  • (v. i.) See Butt, v., and Abut, v.
  • (v. t.) A limit; a bound; a goal; the extreme bound; the end.
  • (v. t.) The thicker end of anything. See But.
  • (v. t.) A mark to be shot at; a target.
  • (v. t.) A person at whom ridicule, jest, or contempt is directed; as, the butt of the company.
  • (v. t.) A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head of an animal; as, the butt of a ram.
  • (v. t.) A thrust in fencing.
  • (v. t.) A piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field.
  • (v. t.) A joint where the ends of two objects come squarely together without scarfing or chamfering; -- also called butt joint.
  • (v. t.) The end of a connecting rod or other like piece, to which the boxing is attached by the strap, cotter, and gib.
  • (v. t.) The portion of a half-coupling fastened to the end of a hose.
  • (v. t.) The joint where two planks in a strake meet.
  • (v. t.) A kind of hinge used in hanging doors, etc.; -- so named because fastened on the edge of the door, which butts against the casing, instead of on its face, like the strap hinge; also called butt hinge.
  • (v. t.) The thickest and stoutest part of tanned oxhides, used for soles of boots, harness, trunks.
  • (v. t.) The hut or shelter of the person who attends to the targets in rifle practice.

Synonyms

solely , plainly , hardly , alone , barely , exclusively , only if , only , entirely , just , scarce , just now , simply , merely , precisely , only when , exactly , scarcely , and , however , notwithstanding , that , tho , besides , provided , unless , except , moreover , save , yet , further , nevertheless , still

Homophones

butt

Rhymes

abut , allnutt , butt , chesnut , chesnutt , chestnut , coconut , curnutte , cut , donut , doughnut , dutt , glut , groundnut , gut , gutt , haircut , haute , hazelnut , hut , hutt , jut , knut , kut , mcnutt , mutt , nut , nutt , peanut , phut , putt , rebut , robot , rut , rutt , schut , schutt , scuttlebutt , shortcut , shut , shutt , skutt , slut , smut , somewhat , sprit , strut , terre-haute , that , turbot , tut , tutt , uncut , undercut , utt , walnut , what