Trivia Time

Which type of attack exploits a browser flaw when a user visits a malicious web page?

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exploit

¹ American  

[ek-sploit, ik-sploit] / ˈɛk splɔɪt, ɪkˈsplɔɪt /

noun

1. a striking or notable deed; feat; spirited or heroic act.

   the exploits of Alexander the Great.

   Synonyms:

   accomplishment

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exploit ² American  

[ik-sploit, eks-ploit, ik-sploit] / ɪkˈsplɔɪt, ˈɛks plɔɪt, ɪkˈsplɔɪt /

verb (used with object)

• exploits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• exploited,
  past participle,  past
• exploiting
  present participle

1. to utilize, especially for profit; turn to practical account.

   to exploit a business opportunity.

2. to use selfishly for one's own ends.

   employers who exploit their workers.

3. to advance or further through exploitation; promote.

   He exploited his new movie through a series of guest appearances.

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noun

Digital Technology.

1. 1. a flaw in hardware or software that is vulnerable to hacking or other cyberattacks.

   2. a piece of software that takes advantage of such a flaw to compromise a computer system or network.

2. (in a video game) the use of a bug or flaw in game design to a player’s advantage or to the disadvantage of other players.

exploit British  

noun

1. a notable deed or feat, esp one that is noble or heroic

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verb

1. to take advantage of (a person, situation, etc), esp unethically or unjustly for one's own ends

2. to make the best use of

   to exploit natural resources

Usage

What does exploit mean? As a verb, exploit commonly means to selfishly take advantage of someone in order to profit from them or otherwise benefit oneself. As a noun, exploit means a notable or heroic accomplishment. As a verb, exploit can also be used in a more neutral way that doesn’t imply selfishness: to make the best use of something, especially an opportunity, to create a profit or other benefit. But when the verb is applied to people, it is always used negatively. The noun form of the verb exploit is exploitation, and the adjective form is exploitative, as in exploitative practices. Example: I know you’re trying to live up to the exploits and success of your father, but exploiting your workers to maximize profit is not the way to do it.

Synonym Usage

See achievement.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• exploitability
  noun
• exploitation
  noun
• exploiter
  noun
• exploitable
  adjective
• exploitative
  adjective
• exploitatory
  adjective
• exploitive
  adjective
• nonexploitable
  adjective
• nonexploitative
  adjective
• nonexploitive
  adjective
• unexploitable
  adjective
• unexploitative
  adjective
• unexploitive
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• exploiting
  present
• exploited
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• exploit
  simple
• exploits
  simple
• have exploited
  perfect
• has exploited
  perfect
• am exploiting
  progressive
• are exploiting
  progressive
• is exploiting
  progressive
• have been exploiting
  perfect progressive
• has been exploiting
  perfect progressive

Past

• exploited
  simple
• had exploited
  perfect
• was exploiting
  progressive
• were exploiting
  progressive
• had been exploiting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will exploit
  simple
• will have exploited
  perfect
• will be exploiting
  progressive
• will have been exploiting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of exploit¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English exploit, espleit, from Old French exploit, Anglo-French espleit, from Latin explicitum, neuter of explicitus “unfolded, set forth,” variant past participle of explicāre “to unfold, unroll, smooth, reveal”; see explicate

Origin of exploit²

First recorded in 1300–50; from French exploiter, derivative of exploit (noun); replacing late Middle English expleiten “to achieve,” from Anglo-French, Middle French espleiter, espleitier, derivative of espleit, esploit, expleit, exploit (noun), from Latin explicitum “matter settled, displayed,” noun use of explicitus “unfolded, revealed,” variant past participle of explicāre; see exploit ¹

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Explanation

An exploit is a heroic act or notable deed. The King Arthur legends are full of stories of the exploits of the Knights of the Round Table, including Sir Lancelot and King Arthur himself. This noun is from Middle English expleit, "outcome," from Latin explicitus, "unfolded, set forth." The verb exploit means to use someone or something, usually selfishly or for profit. Workers who are tired of being exploited by factory owners form unions that allow them to stand together as a powerful force.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exploit exploits exploited exploiting

England's forward power was an obvious edge to exploit.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026

This inequity fuels distrust in a region that's long witnessed the arrival of opportunists eager to exploit its rich resources, including beaver pelts, gold and oil.

From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026

It was more about exploring something that interested me, and trying to do it in a way that could exploit my artistic sensibilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026

The global artificial-intelligence boom is best seen in U.S. tech stocks, but, given their recent tribulations and amid concerns over their prospects, where should investors look to exploit the revolutionary technology?

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026

I had come to believe that people befriended only to exploit one another.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Lamarco’s interest in the group was piqued after seeing a TV show about Culper’s exploits.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2026

His two-way exploits have redefined what was believed to be possible on a baseball field.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Like “The Good Wife,” the series from which “Elsbeth” sprang, “Cupertino” is a legal dramedy that grapples with — or at least exploits — current events and issues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

They gathered to remember "a girl like no other" - a trailblazing rugby player whose exploits on the pitch were cruelly cut short by her death at just 33.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

He kept replaying his own exploits, tacking on little flourishes that never happened.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

MGI said those vulnerabilities won’t necessarily be exploited by hostile suppliers, because they would also stand to lose by withholding goods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Jill described Salah Fayed as "a very cruel man" who exploited her vulnerabilities and exercised near-total control over her life.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026

When X users pressed him on allowing the cameras into the room, he pointed to a People article that featured anonymous sources saying Evans felt exploited and thought the scene would be kept PG.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

"Nowadays it's very typical that all kinds of vulnerabilities are being exploited ever more actively and rapidly."

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Kindness, as Nigro had said back in the Academy, was taken for weakness and exploited.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

“The hackers may not be leading-edge security experts in the conventional sense, but very efficient at exploiting vulnerabilities,” said Jonathan Reiter, co-founder of ChainArgos, a blockchain analytics platform.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

The Philadelphia Eagles built one of the NFL’s best rosters in recent years by exploiting an accounting trick.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

He warned people to be alert to any phishing messages exploiting the publicity around the incident too.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

The second half of “You Can See Everything” examines the conjugal nature of denial and doubt as Seyfried and Fielder begin to worry that Evans is exploiting the now-incarcerated Holmes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Finally, the lab was exploiting the advantages that made it unique: in this case, Lewis’s large supply of deuterium combined with the high energies produced by the cyclotron.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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