Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
but-for
prepositional phrase
/bʌt fɔːr/
Definition
A phrase used to indicate that something would not have happened without a specific condition or reason.
Examples
- If it weren’t for her encouragement, I would never have finished the project.
- The accident would not have happened but for the driver’s negligence.
- But for the rain, we would have gone hiking last weekend.
Meaning
It expresses a cause-and-effect relationship where the absence of one factor would mean that a particular result could not occur.
Synonyms
- without
- except for
- save for
