there is an exception to every rule
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: every rule has an exception
Meaning · English
Most rules have some cases where they do not apply.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Hầu hết các quy tắc đều có những trường hợp không áp dụng
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “there is an exception to every rule” mean?
Most rules have some cases where they do not apply.
Is “there is an exception to every rule” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.