but for preposition 2adjective 1 preposition2 •Except, except for; save for; not counting; were it not for; had it not been for.I’d’ve attended but for the fact that the train was late. •despite; in spite of adjective1 •Pertaining to a test of causation whereby an agent or action is considered to have caused an event (and therefore to be responsible and/or liable for said event) if, had said agent or action not existed, the event would not have taken place.This relevance can in many cases, as here, be tested by the sine qua non or ‘but for’ rule. — 1985
