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

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

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

Cancer cells may exploit this survival mechanism, potentially contributing to tumors that return in a more aggressive and treatment-resistant form.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

He warned he will impose economic sanctions on firms which exploit oil nearby.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The easiest way to exploit the pattern discovered by Ackert and her co-author is by buying an exchange-trade fund that focuses on the largest stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Among the main pathways recruiters use to exploit foreigners are job advertisements online, often with the promise of false civilian work, Amnesty said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Rome would supply military forces, collect taxes, exploit resources, and have the deciding vote in any disputes.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

He was fascinated by the camera operators who followed his Mudcats exploits and asked them to teach him how they worked.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Beyond his exploits in Sao Paulo's financial hub Faria Lima, high-flying Vorcaro invested in real estate, pharmaceuticals, textiles and even soccer.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

Washburn estimated that he currently spends roughly half his time touring, typically performing for between 2,000 and 5,000 fans, in order to fund his open-air exploits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Tapping Travis Scott to play the Bard singing the tales of Odysseus’ exploits, for example, doesn’t merely reframe the role of ancient storytellers and poets as that age’s rappers.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

He keeps no running list of the whereabouts or exploits of his former students, which sometimes frustrates me because I want to know about them.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

In an article published in state media Sunday, Chinese state security minister Chen Yixin said AI brings threats—especially if exploited by foreign adversaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

His earlier work showed that the products of fructose metabolism can be exploited by cancer cells to promote their growth.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

Still, it’s always disappointing when a generous offer feels like it’s been exploited.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

United Farmworkers lobbied Congress to end the bracero program, arguing that the program exploited workers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Bringing Lawrence back to New York, he exploited his personal business contacts to secure tons of copper and iron for the giant machine.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

During a hearing over that issue last month, prosecutors revealed jailhouse recordings in which Lavie bragged about exploiting Cloobeck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

U.S. security agencies accused six Chinese AI companies of systematically exploiting American models to train their own systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Earlier this year, Anthropic introduced Claude Mythos, an AI model that is said to be very good at finding and exploiting security vulnerabilities.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

On Friday, Sánchez accused migrant traffickers of exploiting a decision recently made by the country's supreme court which constrained the government's right to immediately deport people who had arrived by sea.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Luckily, during my junior year, I’d discovered a bug in the school’s online library software, and by exploiting it, I could access any book in the school’s online library, including Anorak’s Almanac.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• abuse
• apply
• capitalize on
• employ
• handle
• manipulate
• mine
• profit from
• use
• utilize