Meaning & use
exempt
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Meanings
adjectiveafter a verb
Not required to follow a rule, pay a charge, or do a duty that applies to others.
Grammar: Follows a verb like be or remain and is usually followed by from: the charity is exempt from tax.
Patterns
- be exempt from something
- exempt from tax
Charities are exempt from paying the fee.
Students with a medical note are exempt from the final exam.
Basic foods are exempt from sales tax in this state.
verbtransitive
To officially free someone or something from a duty, rule, or payment that would normally apply.
Grammar: Takes an object and from: the law exempts small businesses from the rule.
Patterns
- exempt someone from something
- exempt something from something
The new law exempts farmers from the fuel tax.
The school exempted her from the language requirement.
Illness does not exempt you from filing the paperwork.
Word forms
| third person singular | exempts |
|---|---|
| past tense | exempted |
| past participle | exempted |
| -ing form | exempting |
Common combinations
- exempt from tax
- Gifts below the limit are exempt from tax.
- exempt from military service
- He was exempt from military service because of poor eyesight.
- tax-exempt
- The museum is a tax-exempt organization.
- exempt from the rule
- No one is exempt from the rule.
- specifically exempt
- Emergency vehicles are specifically exempt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- excuse
- Excuse is more everyday and often means to let someone skip a duty once, while exempt suggests a formal, lasting release.
- free
- Free is general and can mean released from anything, but exempt is tied to official rules or obligations.
- immune
- Immune suggests complete protection, such as from prosecution or disease, whereas exempt just means not required.
- spare
- Spare means to save someone from something unpleasant, while exempt means a rule officially does not apply.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: exempt or except? exempt or exempt/exemplify?
exempt vs except
Except means leaving out or other than; exempt means formally released from an obligation.
exempt vs exempt/exemplify
Exemplify means to give an example of something, and has nothing to do with being excused from a duty.
Practice
Choose the correct preposition: Nonprofit groups are exempt _____ paying this tax.
Choose one answer.
The set pattern is 'exempt from' something. The other prepositions do not collocate with exempt.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exempt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.