apart from: The room was empty apart from one man seated beside the fire.
other than: She makes no reference to any feminist work other than her own.
excepting: This has been the source of meat for much of this region excepting Japan.
bar: Bar a plateau in 1989, inflation has gone up ever since.
excluding: The families questioned, excluding those on income support, earned less.
ex|cept|ed / I kse pt I d/ ADV [n ADV ] You use excepted after you have mentioned a person or thing to show that you do not include them in the statement you are making. [FORMAL ] □ Jeremy excepted, the men seemed personable.
ex|cept|ing / I kse pt I ŋ/ PREP You use excepting to introduce the only thing that prevents a statement from being completely true. [FORMAL ] □ The source of meat for much of this region (excepting Japan) has traditionally been the pig.
ex|cep|tion ◆◇◇ / I kse pʃ ə n/ (exceptions )
1 N‑COUNT [oft with the N of n] An exception is a particular thing, person, or situation that is not included in a general statement, judgment, or rule. □ Few guitarists can sing as well as they can play; Eddie, however, is an exception. □ [+ of ] There were no floral offerings at the ceremony, with the exception of a single red rose. □ The law makes no exceptions. □ With few exceptions, guests are booked for week-long visits.
2 PHRASE If you make a general statement, and then say that something or someone is no exception , you are emphasizing that they are included in that statement. [EMPHASIS ] □ Marketing is applied to everything these days, and books are no exception. □ Most people have no idea how to change to healthy food, and Anna was no exception.
3 PHRASE If you are making a general statement and you say that something is the exception that proves the rule , you mean that although it seems to contradict your statement, in most other cases your statement will be true. □ Dury was the exception that proves the rule that you can't make serious points with funny lyrics.
4 PHRASE If you take exception to something, you feel offended or annoyed by it, usually with the result that you complain about it. □ He also took exception to having been spied on.
5 PHRASE You use with the exception of to introduce a thing or person that is not included in a general statement that you are making. □ Yesterday was a day off for everybody, with the exception of Lawrence.
6 PHRASE You use without exception to emphasize that the statement you are making is true in all cases. [EMPHASIS ] □ The vehicles are without exception old, rusty and dented.
ex|cep|tion|al / I kse pʃən ə l/
1 ADJ You use exceptional to describe someone or something that has a particular quality, usually a good quality, to an unusually high degree. [APPROVAL ] □ …children with exceptional ability. □ His translation is exceptional in its poetic quality. ● ex|cep|tion|al|ly ADV [ADV adj/adv] □ He's an exceptionally talented dancer.
2 ADJ Exceptional situations and incidents are unusual and only likely to happen very infrequently. [FORMAL ] □ Magistrates would have the discretion to impose a community order. ● ex|cep|tion|al|ly ADV □ Exceptionally, in times of emergency, we may send a team of experts.
ex|cerpt ◆◇◇ /e ksɜː r pt/ (excerpts ) N‑COUNT An excerpt is a short piece of writing or music which is taken from a larger piece. □ [+ from ] …an excerpt from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. SYNONYMS excerpt NOUN
extract: Read this extract from an information booklet.
passage: He reads a passage from Milton.
quotation: She illustrated her argument with quotations from Pasternak.
cutting: Here are the press cuttings and reviews.
quote: The article starts with a quote from an unnamed member of the Cabinet.
ex|cess ◆◇◇ (excesses ) The noun is pronounced / I kse s/. The adjective is pronounced /e kses/. 1 N‑VAR An excess of something is a larger amount than is needed, allowed, or usual. □ [+ of ] An excess of house plants in a small flat can be oppressive. □ Polyunsaturated oils are essential for health. Excess is harmful, however.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Excess is used to describe amounts that are greater than what is needed, allowed, or usual. □ After cooking the fish, pour off any excess fat.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Excess is behaviour that is unacceptable because it is considered too extreme or immoral. □ She said she was sick of her life of excess. □ …adolescent excess.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] Excess is used to refer to additional amounts of money that need to be paid for services and activities that were not originally planned or taken into account. [FORMAL ] □ …a letter demanding an excess fare of £20.
5 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The excess on an insurance policy is a sum of money which the insured person has to pay towards the cost of a claim. The insurance company pays the rest. [BRIT , BUSINESS , TECHNICAL ] □ The company wanted £1,800 for a policy with a £400 excess for under-21s.
6 PHRASE In excess of means more than a particular amount. [FORMAL ] □ Avoid deposits in excess of £20,000 in any one account.
7 PHRASE If you do something to excess , you do it too much. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ I was reasonably fit, played a lot of tennis, and didn't smoke or drink to excess. SYNONYMS excess NOUN 1
surfeit: Rationing had put an end to a surfeit of biscuits long ago.
plethora: A plethora of new operators will be allowed to enter the market.