exempt
Americanverb (used with object)
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exempts,
present (3rd person singular)
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exempted,
past participle, past
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exempting
present participle
adjective
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released from, or not subject to, a particular obligation or liability, such as income tax.
Charities and other exempt organizations must still file an information return with the IRS.
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U.S. Law. relating to or being an employee to whom certain obligations imposed on employers under the Fair Labor Standards Act do not apply, generally because skill level and remuneration are relatively high or work is of a kind that cannot be strictly scheduled.
Executive employees and creative professionals are among those considered exempt under the FLSA.
noun
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a person who is exempt from an obligation, duty, etc.
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(in Britain) exon.
verb
adjective
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freed from or not subject to an obligation, liability, tax, etc; excused
exempt gilts
tax-exempt bonus
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obsolete set apart; remote
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exemptionnoun
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preexemptverb (used with object)
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exemptibleadjective
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nonexemptadjective
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quasi-exemptadjective
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unexemptadjective
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unexemptedadjective
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unexemptibleadjective
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unexemptingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exemptsimple
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exemptssimple
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have exemptedperfect
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has exemptedperfect
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am exemptingprogressive
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are exemptingprogressive
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is exemptingprogressive
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have been exemptingperfect progressive
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has been exemptingperfect progressive
Past
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exemptedsimple
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had exemptedperfect
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was exemptingprogressive
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were exemptingprogressive
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had been exemptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exempt
First recorded in 1325–75; (adjective) Middle English, from Old French, from Latin exemptus, past participle of eximere “to take out, free, release,” equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + emptus (past participle of emere “to buy, obtain”); (verb) late Middle English exempten, from Old French exempter, derivative of adjective exempt
Explanation
If your accountant tells you that you’re exempt from taxes this year, give him a big hug. He is saying that you don’t have to pay taxes. The adjective exempt traces back to the Latin word exemptus, meaning “to remove or take out” or “to free”. So if you are exempt, you are free of an obligation that others have to fulfill, such as paying taxes. But you can also be exempt from having to obey certain rules, like seniors being exempt from having to sell candy bars for a school fundraiser.
Vocabulary lists containing exempt
Power Prefix: ex-
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The Giver
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Welfare advocacy group Gyeol condemned the petitioning organisations, saying: "Past service in the welfare sector does not exempt anyone from accountability."
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Most housing in already developed areas, for example, is now exempt from environmental review.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Interest from Treasurys is exempt from state tax but is taxed federally as income, which can push one’s income above thresholds that trigger Medicare premium surcharges, Um noted.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The guidance also fails to clarify technical questions, such as whether ingredients used in a rare disease drug and in other products are categorically exempt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
He had gotten a Blauschein, a "blue sheet" or Gestapo-issued permit, added to his identification card, which we hoped would again exempt all of us from deportation.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
The proposal, which exempts tribal Head Starts furthering tribal languages, is currently undergoing public comment through Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
However, Illinois exempts retirement-account withdrawals and pension income, so when Earl begins taking required withdrawals from his IRA at 73, they will pay a little more in Arizona.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The aggravated assault statute under which she was charged exempts situations in which displaying a firearm is “reasonably necessary” for self-defense.
From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026
It will also amend a 2024 act so that it exempts all road refrigerant appliances used to transport goods from new leak requirements for HFCs, it said.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
It is turning out a vast number of exempts.
From A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital by John Beauchamp Jones
The order specifically exempted programs with preferences for U.S. military veterans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The rule previously exempted retailers from paying import duties on packages sent to the U.S. valued at less than $800.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
Children can still be exempted and attend school in California if they have a medical reason.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Additionally, candidates are exempted from including some assets, such as personal residences or vehicles.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
I was in intensive care in the hospital and I think the patients were exempted, as the complications of removing us for a practice drill outweighed the benefits.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
“While there may be good reasons for exempting certain sellers from the bill’s provisions, such a carve-out deserves further discussion,” Newsom wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The researchers suggested each local groundwater agency identify the smaller farmers, consider exempting those that use minimal water and set fees in a tiered system that allows growers who pump less to pay less.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Berlin has earmarked hundreds of billions of euros for rearmament over the coming decade, exempting most defence spending from strict constitutional borrowing limits.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Congress in 2024 passed a law exempting some semiconductor projects from the National Environmental Policy Act’s stringent environmental reviews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
There’s practically nothing even in the room; it’s mostly open space, exempting the shelves.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
