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Words with the prefix ex-

ex- means “out of; former”, from Latin.

16 examples of the prefix ex-

  1. exitex- + it (go)a going out
  2. exportex- + port (carry)carry goods out
  3. exhaleex- + hale (breathe)breathe out
  4. excludeex- + clude (shut)shut out
  5. expelex- + pel (drive)drive out
  6. exposeex- + pose (place)place out in the open
  7. extractex- + tract (draw)draw out by force
  8. exteriorex- + terior (outside)on the outside surface
  9. exileex- + ile (go away)forced out of one's country
  10. exclaimex- + claim (cry out)cry out suddenly
  11. exceedex- + ceed (go)go beyond a limit
  12. excavateex- + cavate (hollow)dig out from the ground
  13. exonerateex- + onerate (burden)free from blame or burden
  14. exorbitantex- + orbit (track)going out of the normal track
  15. expatriateex- + patriate (homeland)living outside one's homeland

Also: ex-president

How ex- works

The prefix 'ex-' attaches most often to verbs and nouns, converting them to words meaning removal, outward movement, or former status without changing the part of speech. Before some consonants it shortens to 'e-' (as in 'emit,' 'eject') and before 'f' it assimilates to 'ef-' (as in 'efface,' 'effuse').

Watch out: Words like 'example,' 'exact,' and 'exist' look like they contain the 'out of' prefix but their 'ex-' is fused into the Latin root and does not function as a separable English prefix meaning 'out of' or 'former.'

To see prefixes combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.

Other common prefixes

Questions people ask

What does the prefix ex- mean?

ex- means “out of; former”. It comes from Latin. The prefix 'ex-' attaches most often to verbs and nouns, converting them to words meaning removal, outward movement, or former status without changing the part of speech. Before some consonants it shortens to 'e-' (as in 'emit,' 'eject') and before 'f' it assimilates to 'ef-' (as in 'efface,' 'effuse').

What are some examples of words with the prefix ex-?

exit, export, exhale, exclude, expel, expose, extract, exterior. The full list of 16 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.

Which words look like they have the prefix ex- but don’t?

Words like 'example,' 'exact,' and 'exist' look like they contain the 'out of' prefix but their 'ex-' is fused into the Latin root and does not function as a separable English prefix meaning 'out of' or 'former.'

What is a prefix?

A prefix is a word part added to the front of a base word or root to change its meaning, like un- in unhappy or re- in rewrite. It does not usually change the part of speech.