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.

---

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)

---

exception More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing exception

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

---

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

As a result, America’s financial institutions, with the exception of a few major skeptics, have found themselves as AI’s biggest cheerleaders in a capacity that extends beyond IPO road shows.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Aside from the Northern Irishman there were few moments of sparkle on show elsewhere among the potential contenders, albeit Justin Rose's slam-dunk hole-in-one on the par-three ninth was an obvious exception.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

And Essayli, the administration’s embattled appointee to lead one of the largest federal prosecutor’s offices in the country, has been no exception.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

She wears a pearl-trimmed French hood; a dark, square-necked gown with white lace, gold and pearl trim; a pearl necklace; and, with one exception, a pearl necklace with the pendant initials “AB” or “B.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Even Daryn Lehoux, who thinks the Romans had everything we have, acknowledges one exception: There were no ancient universities, no scientific conferences, no journals where investigators published their results.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

If you want to access an IRA early without penalty, you must be eligible for one of the penalty exceptions applicable to IRAs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

With few exceptions, she said, they stop short of overtly catering to weight-loss drug users.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

"The result is paralysis with rare exceptions due either to the severity of the crimes or US intervention," Novik added.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

A person’s information can’t be released or shared without their consent, subject to limited exceptions.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

“We didn’t make exceptions of them, did we, Orddu?” said Orwen.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

• anomaly
• exemption
• oddity
• privilege