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

Justice Neil Gorsuch, whom Trump appointed to the court, questioned how to square arguments against Trump’s order with the current birthright citizenship exception for children of Native American tribes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Can this narrow exception really be stretched so far?

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

My narrative, while willfully episodic in character—no comprehensive coverage of all events is claimed—follows a chronological line, with one significant exception.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• anomaly
• exemption
• oddity
• privilege