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exempt

[ ig-zempt ]
/ ɪgˈzɛmpt /
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See synonyms for exempt on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to free from an obligation or liability to which others are subject; release: A grade above B+ is required in order to exempt a student from an examination.
adjective
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.
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
a person who is exempt from an obligation, duty, etc.
(in Britain) exon1.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM exempt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to exempt

immune, excuse, exonerate, free, spare, absolved, clear, discharged, excepted, excluded, favored, liberated, privileged, released, unbound, walked, dispense, beat the rap, let go, let off

British Dictionary definitions for exempt

exempt
/ (ɪɡˈzɛmpt) /
verb
(tr) to release from an obligation, liability, tax, etc; excuseto exempt a soldier from drill
adjective (sometimes postpositive)
freed from or not subject to an obligation, liability, tax, etc; excusedexempt gilts; tax-exempt bonus
obsolete set apart; remote
noun
a person who is exempt from an obligation, tax, etc

Derived forms of exempt

exemption, noun

Word Origin for exempt

C14: from Latin exemptus removed, from eximere to take out, from emere to buy, obtain
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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