exception

American  

[ik-sep-shuhn] / ɪkˈsɛp ʃən /

noun

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

• exceptionless adjective
• preexception noun

Etymology

Origin of exception

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English excepcioun, from Latin exceptiōn-, stem of exceptiō; equivalent to except ¹ + -ion

Example Sentences

In a season where attacking players have largely not stood out consistently across the entire campaign, he is the exception.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Nasdaq calls its new float-weighting exception a conservative balance.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The one big exception: if changes are made to the ticket after booking, like shifting the date or the time of departure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Can this narrow exception really be stretched so far?

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

All the shrews had disappeared with the exception of Guosim and Log-a-Log.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• anomaly
• exemption
• oddity
• privilege