ex
preposition
without, not including, or without the right to have.
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ex
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EX
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ex-
ex-a prefix meaning “out of,” “from,” and hence “utterly,” “thoroughly,” and sometimes meaning “not” or “without” or indicating a former title, status, etc.; freely used as an English formative: exstipulate; exterritorial; ex-president (former president); ex-member; ex-wife .
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ex.
ex.abbreviationexamination.
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Ex.
Ex.abbreviationExodus.
ex
1 American
[eks]
/ ɛks /
preposition
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Finance. without, not including, or without the right to have.
ex interest; ex rights.
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Commerce. free of charges to the purchaser until the time of removal from a specified place or thing.
ex ship; ex warehouse; ex elevator.
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(in U.S. colleges and universities) from, but not graduated with, the class of.
ex '47.
ex
2
American
[eks]
/ ɛks /
noun
Informal.
ex
3
American
[eks]
/ ɛks /
noun
ex
4
American
[eks]
/ ɛks /
adjective
Slang.
EX
5
American
abbreviation
ex-
6
American
ex-
7
American
ex-
8
American
ex.
9
American
abbreviation
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examination.
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examined.
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example.
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except.
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exception.
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exchange.
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excursion.
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executed.
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executive.
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express.
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extra.
Ex.
10
American
abbreviation
Bible.
ex-
1
British
prefix
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out of; outside of; from
exclosure
exurbia
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former
ex-wife
ex
2
British
/ ɛks /
preposition
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finance not participating in; excluding; without
ex bonus
ex dividend
ex rights
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commerce without charge to the buyer until removed from
ex quay
ex ship
ex works
ex
3
British
/ ɛks /
noun
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informal (a person's) former wife, husband, etc
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short for examination
Ex.
4
British
abbreviation
ex-
5
British
combining form
Etymology
Origin of ex1
First recorded in 1835–45; from Latin; see ex- 1
Origin of ex2
First recorded in 1820–30; by shortening
Origin of ex4
First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening
Origin of ex-6
< Latin, combining form of ex, ē (preposition) out (of ), from, beyond
Origin of ex-8
From Greek combining form of ex, ek, “out (of), from, beyond”; see ec-, ex- 1
Vocabulary lists containing ex
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No relevant precedent existed, and given the unique crimes the Nazi hierarchy had committed, it would require ex post facto laws to prosecute them.
From Salon • May 18, 2026
For Apple, as for Jobs, the whole episode involved the kind of deus ex machina you could never get away with in fiction.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
With an informal arrangement, there is often no immediate remedy if your ex changes the amount overnight.
From MarketWatch • May 16, 2026
A few hours before our next date, he texted me to say that he had hung out with his ex and they were going give it another go.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
The first was the problem of the creation of life from nonlife—genesis ex nihilo.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
