Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

exception

 noun
     
ex‧cep‧tion S2 W2 [uncountable and countable]
1 something or someone that is not included in a general statement or does not follow a rule or pattern:
It's been cold, but today's an exception.
with the exception of somebody/something
We all laughed, with the exception of Maggie.
without exception
Each plant, without exception, contains some kind of salt.
notable/important/significant exception
With one or two notable exceptions, there are few women conductors.
minor/major exception
With a few minor exceptions, the new edition is much like the previous one.
The law applies to all EU countries; Britain is no exception.
We don't usually accept checks, but for you we'll make an exception (=not include you in this rule).
The spelling of this word is an interesting exception to the rule.
Successful two-career couples are still the exception, not the rule (=used to emphasize that something is unusual).
2

somebody/something is the exception that proves the rule

spoken used to say that the fact that something is not true or does not exist in one situation emphasizes the fact that it is true or exists in general:
Most people here are very dedicated; I'm afraid Rhea's the exception that proves the rule.
3

take exception to something

to be angry or upset because of something:
Tom took great exception to my remark about Americans.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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