a person or thing that is not included in a general statement 一般情况以外的人（或事物）；例外 Most of the buildings in the town are modern, but the church is an exception. 城里大多是现代建筑，不过教堂是个例外。 With very few exceptions, private schools get the best exam results. 私立学校的考试成绩是最好的，很少有例外情况。 Nobody had much money at the time and I was no exception. 那时候谁都没有很多钱，我也不例外。
Language Bank exceptexceptMaking an exception 说明例外的情况 She wrote all of the songs on the album except for the final track. 除最后一首歌外，这张专辑中所有歌曲都是她写的。
Apart from/aside from the final track, all of the songs on the album were written by her. 除最后一首歌外，这张专辑中所有歌曲都是她写的。
The songwriting—with a few minor exceptions—is of a very high quality. 除了几首歌美中不足以外，歌曲创作质量非常高。
With only one or two exceptions, the songwriting is of a very high quality. 歌曲创作质量非常高，仅有一两首歌例外。
The majority of the compositions are less than three minutes long, with the notable exception of the title track. 大多数曲目的长度都不超过三分钟，只有与专辑同名的曲目是明显的例外。
With the exception of the title track, this album is a huge disappointment. 这张专辑令人大失所望，只有与专辑同名的曲目还过得去。
Here is a list of all the band’s CDs, excluding unofficial ‘bootleg’ recordings. 这是这个乐队所有 CD 的清单，未经批准非法录制的那些没有计算在内。
Extra ExamplesMost industries have suffered badly in the recession, but there have been a few notable exceptions. 在经济衰退期间大多数产业受到严重影响，但有几个明显的例外。 There are occasional exceptions to my generalization. 我的概括偶然也有例外。 There should be specific exceptions written into the plan. 那些特定的例外情况应该写到这个计划中去。 There was an interesting exception to this general pattern. 此通用模式有一个有意思的例外。 With a few exceptions, the songwriting is very good. 除个别地方外，这首歌写得很好。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- great
- important
- …
- make
- carve
- carve out
- …
- with the exception of
- without exception
- exception to
- …
- be no exception
- be the exception rather than the rule
- the exception to the rule
- …
a thing that does not follow a rule 规则的例外；例外的事物 Good writing is unfortunately the exception rather than the rule (= it is unusual). 可惜优秀的文字作品真是可遇不可求。 There are always a lot of exceptions to grammar rules. 语法规则总是有很多例外。
Extra ExamplesTopics Permission and obligationb2Most of his family are sports enthusiasts, but he's the exception to the rule. 他家中大部份人都是体育迷，但他是个例外。 Unfortunately, considerate motorists are the exception rather than the rule. 可惜的是，为他人着想的驾驶人却不多见。 Nowadays a job for life is very much the exception rather than the rule. 现在终身职业只是例外而不是常规了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- great
- important
- …
- make
- carve
- carve out
- …
- with the exception of
- without exception
- exception to
- …
- be no exception
- be the exception rather than the rule
- the exception to the rule
- …
Word Originlate Middle English: via Old French from Latin exceptio(n-), from excipere ‘take out’, from ex- ‘out of’ + capere ‘take’.
Idioms
the exception that proves the rule
- (saying)
people say that something is the exception that proves the rule when they are stating something that seems to be different from the normal situation, but they mean that the normal situation remains true in general 反证规律的例外；足以证明普遍性的例外
make an exception
to allow somebody not to follow the usual rule on one occasion or for one particular reason 允许有例外；让…成为例外 Children are not usually allowed in, but I'm prepared to make an exception in this case. 儿童一般不允许入内，不过这次我可以破例。 No parking is allowed, but an exception is made for disabled drivers. 此处禁止停车，但对残疾驾车者例外。 We are making a special exception for Emma because of her condition. 因为艾玛的情况特殊，我们把她作为例外。
take exception to something
with the exception of somebody/something
except; not including 除…之外；不包括…在内 All his novels are set in Italy with the exception of his last. 他的小说除最后一部外全是以意大利为背景。 The whole of the island was flooded with the exception of a small area in the north. 除了北部一小块地方以外，整个岛都被淹没了。
Language Bank exceptexceptMaking an exception 说明例外的情况 She wrote all of the songs on the album except for the final track. 除最后一首歌外，这张专辑中所有歌曲都是她写的。
Apart from/aside from the final track, all of the songs on the album were written by her. 除最后一首歌外，这张专辑中所有歌曲都是她写的。
The songwriting—with a few minor exceptions—is of a very high quality. 除了几首歌美中不足以外，歌曲创作质量非常高。
With only one or two exceptions, the songwriting is of a very high quality. 歌曲创作质量非常高，仅有一两首歌例外。
The majority of the compositions are less than three minutes long, with the notable exception of the title track. 大多数曲目的长度都不超过三分钟，只有与专辑同名的曲目是明显的例外。
With the exception of the title track, this album is a huge disappointment. 这张专辑令人大失所望，只有与专辑同名的曲目还过得去。
Here is a list of all the band’s CDs, excluding unofficial ‘bootleg’ recordings. 这是这个乐队所有 CD 的清单，未经批准非法录制的那些没有计算在内。
without exception
used to emphasize that the statement you are making is always true and everyone or everything is included 一律；无一例外