exception

American  

[ik-sep-shuhn] / ɪkˈsɛp ʃən /

noun

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

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

There is almost no advertising, with an occasional exception like Apple putting a banner atop the page to get you to tune in to Apple TV for something.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2026

Tech stocks rebounded yesterday from Friday’s big selloff with one notable exception: a tech giant highlighting its enhanced AI capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

However, with strong earnings providing fundamental support, those swoons are likely to be the exception rather than the norm.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

One small group of stocks is an exception: companies for which Wall Street’s consensus recommendation is negative.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

Every circle on the plane is the shadow of a circle on the ball, and a circle on the ball corresponds to a circle on the plane...with one exception.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• anomaly
• exemption
• oddity
• privilege