everyone except one

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "everyone except one" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that all individuals in a group are included except for a single person. Example: "Everyone except one agreed to the proposal, making it easier to move forward."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

The owner, Mark Muller, said everyone "except one guy from Canada and one old guy" has chosen the gun.

The New York Times

Everyone except, one may guess, the god-botherers standing picket outside the club's front gates, waving placards warning us all that we are going straight to hell.

The Guardian - Sport

It seems everyone except one very, very angry commenter realised that the druggy Polish donk scene I wrote about on 1 April was completely fabricated.

The Guardian - Music

We swear it's gonna start happening soon, leaving everyone except one or two grime fan kids totally puzzled.

Vice

Everyone, except one, reported having published scientific or popular science articles during their research studies.

BMC Medical Education

Instead, he walked into a second classroom, killing everyone except one girl.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

During a show, I asked everyone to get up, and everyone did except one person.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Everyone except Big One laughed on cue.

Huffington Post

The greatest American novel of the nineteenth century, after all, tells the story of a whaling ship — a whole civilization, really — that sinks; everyone dies except one solitary survivor with a Biblical name, who narrates the story.

The New Yorker

Ultimately, we located some different cookies to substitute, which seemed to satisfy everyone... except one sweet little girl with a nut allergy.

Huffington Post

He's surrounded by everyone except the one he wants – he had this love ripped away from him, before he even knew it.

The Guardian - Music

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "everyone except one" to clearly indicate that all members of a group are included except for a single individual, avoiding ambiguity in your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "everyone except one" when you actually mean to exclude a larger portion of the group. Ensure the context accurately reflects that only a single person is the exception.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "everyone except one" functions as a determiner phrase that modifies a noun implicitly or explicitly, indicating the scope of inclusion within a group with a single exception. Ludwig confirms this with several real-world examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

60%

Science

20%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Reference

3%

Encyclopedias

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "everyone except one" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression to indicate that all members of a group are included, with a single exception. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase is frequently found in news and media, as well as scientific contexts. Alternative phrases such as "all but one" and "everybody but one" offer similar meanings. When using this phrase, be sure that it accurately reflects the inclusion of nearly all members, with a single exception to avoid misrepresenting the inclusivity of the group.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

all but one

Replaces "everyone" with "all", simplifying the sentence structure.

everybody but one

Substitutes "everyone" with "everybody", offering a slightly more informal tone.

all people except one

Replaces "everyone" with the more explicit "all people".

with the exception of one, everyone

Introduces the exception more formally using "with the exception of".

each and every one excluding one

Adds emphasis by specifying "each and every one" before indicating the exception.

excluding only one person, everyone

Highlights that only one person is being excluded.

with one exception, everyone

Reorders the phrase to highlight the exception as a preface.

save for one person, everyone

Uses "save for" to introduce the exception, adding a touch of formality.

one person aside, everyone

Uses "aside" to indicate exclusion, offering a more concise expression.

minus one person, all others

Uses "minus" to explicitly subtract one person from the group.

FAQs

How can I use "everyone except one" in a sentence?

You can use "everyone except one" to specify that all members of a group are included, with a single exception. For example, "Everyone except one agreed to the proposal".

What is a more formal alternative to "everyone except one"?

A more formal alternative is "with the exception of one, everyone", which provides a similar meaning but with a heightened level of formality.

Is it correct to say "everyone but one" instead of "everyone except one"?

Yes, "all but one" or "everybody but one" is a perfectly acceptable alternative and maintains the same meaning as "everyone except one".

What's the difference between "everyone except one" and "almost everyone"?

"Everyone except one" specifically excludes a single individual, while "almost everyone" implies that a small, unspecified number of people are excluded. The former is more precise.