exempt
Americanverb (used with object)
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:
What is exempt or not depends on your state’s rules, but often includes cash and bank balances exceeding basic needs, valuable collections, investments and, in the worst case, your home.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
The surviving co-habiting partner would still have to pay inheritance tax of 40% for anything above £325,000 - married partners are exempt from this.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Police Chief Cameron Paul fired back in his own video, saying people who believe they have been wronged financially aren’t exempt from laws against “harassment, trespassing, stalking, or other conduct.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Some states impose estate or inheritance taxes, which may further reduce the total, although for a $1.5 million estate, this is often limited or partially exempt depending on the state.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Because she hadn’t done the reading she was exempt from being called on, but Mr. da Silva sent concerned looks her way.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
“The President’s proclamation clearly exempts athletes and necessary support personnel for ‘major sporting events.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
The companies have long argued that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, passed by Congress in 1996, exempts platforms from liability for what third parties post.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
The 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida only exempts caregivers of children age 6 and under.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2025
As neither rank nor affection exempts men from the dust and tedium of life, or from its disappointments, so neither does religion.
From The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Exodus by Chadwick, G. A.
While the first $910,000 of net gains are exempted from the exit tax, everything beyond this amount is taxed at regular capital-gains rates.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
They also exempted goods that can’t be made in size in the U.S., such as beef, pineapples, coffee, certain minerals, and aircraft parts.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
The legislation exempted a broad array of housing development and infrastructure from environmental review in an effort to streamline construction and help address housing scarcity in California.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
A request made to the council for the food bank's volunteers to be exempted from CAZ requirements was refused, its organisers said.
From BBC ● May 27, 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
It also considered exempting megacap companies from financial viability criteria requiring them to be profitable before being included in S&P indexes.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
Funders, by contrast, dress up their investments as prepaid forwards and claim capital gains treatment, lowering their top federal tax rate to 23.8% while exempting foreign funders from U.S. taxes entirely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
It would apply to an estimated 13,000 nonprimary residences — condos, co-ops and townhouses — while exempting primary homes, full-time rentals and properties outside the city.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 18, 2026
District Judge Christina A. Snyder said she was “constrained” to block the law because it included only local and federal officers, while exempting state law enforcement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 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.
