exception

American  

[ik-sep-shuhn] / ɪkˈsɛp ʃən /

noun

exceptions plural

1. the act of excepting or the fact of being excepted.

2. something excepted; an instance or case not conforming to the general rule.

3. an adverse criticism, especially on a particular point; opposition of opinion; objection; demurral.

   a statement liable to exception.

4. Law.

   1. an objection, as to a ruling of the court in the course of a trial.

   2. a notation that an objection is preserved for purposes of appeal.

      saving an exception.

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idioms

1. take exception,

   1. to make an objection; demur.

      They took exception to several points in the contract.

   2. to take offense.

      She took exception to what I said about her brother.

exception British  

/ ɪkˈsɛpʃən /

noun

1. the act of excepting or fact of being excepted; omission

2. anything excluded from or not in conformance with a general rule, principle, class, etc

3. criticism, esp when it is adverse; objection

4. law (formerly) a formal objection in the course of legal proceedings

5. law a clause or term in a document that restricts the usual legal effect of the document

6. 1. (usually foll by to) to make objections (to); demur (at)

   2. (often foll by at) to be offended (by); be resentful (at)

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exception More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing exception

• except for (with the exception of)
• make an exception
• take exception to

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preexception
  noun
• exceptionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exceptions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of exception

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English excepcioun, from Latin exceptiōn-, stem of exceptiō; equivalent to except ¹ + -ion

Explanation

An exception is something that is left out or not done on purpose. An exception to a rule does not follow that rule. This word is used for all sorts of things that are not usual or usually allowed. The saying ”i before e except after c,” is about an exception to a spelling rule. If you run every day but take Saturdays off, you're making an exception. If your teacher punishes you for being late even though you have an excuse, she might say, "I'm sorry, but I can't make an exception." When you see exception, think "Something different than usual is happening."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exception exceptions

An exception is allowed for companies that can prove they have used their name for a long time.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

"I should not be the exception," she says.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

With the exception of “Love Is Strong,” however, most of the songs here are little more than pleasant exercises in nostalgia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

The issue has evolved into a legal dispute between ABC, owned by Disney, and the FCC, over whether the show qualifies for the exception.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026

Most of his wardrobe, with the exception of a few favorite T-shirts, was secondhand.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

According to Kavanaugh, even Wong Kim Ark’s closed set of constitutional exceptions can be expanded to apply “to new circumstances” based on subsequent developments “largely unknown or unanticipated” by the Framers of the 14th Amendment.

From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026

But with some exceptions, these two announcements generated little beyond congratulations, remarkable only for being unremarkable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Elsewhere in Latin America, only human witnesses are allowed, although Argentina and Mexico have made a few exceptions.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

There are limited exceptions to that rule — if the collector, for example, reasonably believes the earlier information was incomplete or inaccurate.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

With a few notable exceptions, most of the stories were thinly veiled accounts of the author's life as he or she attempted to complete the assignment.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• anomaly
• exemption
• oddity
• privilege