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

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Etymology

Origin of exception

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

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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

Of the 11 cancers of particular interest, 10 were associated with obesity, with mouth cancer being the exception.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Markets have been rising globally, with the exception of Chinese equities.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The sights and sounds of the fall term at Deltona High School are familiar, with one hidden exception: the high-speed attack drones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

With the exception of last week, Denver’s offense has scored on good defenses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

The exception was the Parisian philosophers, for whom the centre of gravity of both the earth and the water remained coincident with the centre of the universe.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The party holding the White House has almost invariably lost seats in midterm elections, with just three exceptions in the House since 1934, according to figures compiled by the American Presidency Project.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Section 40 of Nepal's Civil Code does allow for some exceptions, but it does not have a provision for disasters like the flood witnessed last month.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

There are going to be exceptions to the rule, but oftentimes you see even these candidates leveraging social media and talking policy in a different way.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

While that’s the usual reaction, there are exceptions.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

“Yeah, well, food’s one of the five exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration,” said Ron to general astonishment.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

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Related Words

• anomaly
• exemption
• oddity
• privilege

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