in all but name

in all but name

In every way except for how someone or something is named or described. I schedule the roster, I order inventory, and I hire new staff—I'm really the manager in all but name. If you have kids and a mortgage together, you're pretty much married in all but name.See also: all, but, name

in all but name

existing in a particular state but not formally recognized as such. 1999 Chris Hulme Manslaughter United He had spent twenty-one out of twenty-five years in segregation (solitary confinement in all but name). See also: all, but, name

in ˌall but ˈname

used to describe a situation which exists in reality but that is not officially recognized: He runs the company in all but name.See also: all, but, name