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

Our family seldom undertakes a project without physical comedy, and my small errand of mercy was no exception.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The exception, and it is a large one, is manager selection.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

A second draft of the letter, dated March 4, contained altered language providing that the voter information would be “transferred” to HSI, with one exception: Voters’ party affiliation would be redacted, if possible, it said.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Recent carrier deployments have repeatedly stretched beyond their original anticipated duration, suggesting that extended deployments may be becoming a feature rather than an exception of the Navy’s force-generation model,” Blumenthal wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

First, it was evident that genetic variation was the norm, not the exception, in nature.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

With rare exceptions, all able-bodied men are required to serve 18 months of military service in South Korea.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, said there would be "no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people".

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

With rare exceptions, a male may justify his belief in his sex and a female in hers by being aware of their secondary sex characteristics consistent with their “sex assigned at birth.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

With few exceptions cells themselves are minute, seen only with the aid of a microscope.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• anomaly
• exemption
• oddity
• privilege