exemption

American  

[ig-zemp-shuhn] / ɪgˈzɛmp ʃən /

noun

• exemptions
  plural

1. the circumstances of a taxpayer, such as their age or number of dependents, that allow them to make certain deductions from taxable income.

2. the act of exempting.

3. the state of being exempted; immunity.

   Synonyms:

   exception

   Antonyms:

   liability

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Synonym Usage

Exemption, immunity, impunity imply special privilege or freedom from imposed requirements. Exemption implies release or privileged freedom from some duty, tax, etc.: exemption from military service. Immunity implies freedom from a penalty or from some liability, especially one that is disagreeable or threatening: immunity from disease. Impunity (limited mainly to the fixed expression with impunity ) primarily suggests freedom from punishment: The police force was so inadequate that crimes could be committed with impunity.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonexemption
  noun
• preexemption
  noun
• exemptive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exemptions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of exemption

First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin exemptiōn- (stem of exemptiō ) “removal.” See exempt, -ion

Explanation

When you get an exemption, you don't have to do something. In the sixties, some people got exemptions from military service during the Vietnam War. We don't often think of being left out as a good thing, but when you use the word exemption, you mean that someone has been excluded in a positive way. Children are exemptions, or deductions, on tax forms; the more children you have the less taxes you pay. Some non-profits are tax-exempt; their exemption means they pay no taxes at all. Exemptions also spare people from fighting in wars and doing some jobs. An exemption gets you off the hook.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exemption exemptions

In Atlanta, the company has sought an exemption from a local ban on data centers near transit centers as it tries to build a $500 million center in the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

“SB 1392 establishes a carefully limited exemption for cars that are preserved, driven sparingly, and maintained as part of California’s automotive heritage.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

But why do AI labs need an antitrust exemption?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

"There is no council tax exemption that is applied automatically following the death of a resident," a spokesperson said.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

The cheerleaders have obtained some sort of special exemption to roam the hall in a pack with pens in hand to seek out autographs of staff and students.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

There would be exemptions for foreign students already in Australia as well as applicants from the Pacific and South East Asian countries, he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Over the next few years, Jay Leno’s Law will phase in smog check exemptions for collector cars built from model years 1976 through 1985 that are not used as a primary mode of transportation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Thus the pleas behind closed doors for exemptions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

“I don’t think specific exemptions address the massive gray areas that arise in pregnancy,” she said.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

By the time the early months of 1945 rolled in, everyone was looking for exemptions from duty.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• discharge
• dispensation
• exception
• immunity
• privilege