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

“Will there be ways to try and exploit that and try and get stuff done?”

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

The “machine” wants to sell tickets and exploit his trauma in the process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Researchers have already shown that AI agents can autonomously exploit software vulnerabilities; in one experiment, a GPT-4 agent successfully exploited 73% of vulnerabilities without being given prior knowledge.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

The researchers had access to a special version of Claude Opus 4.8, made available to qualified cybersecurity practitioners, and they asked it to write code that would exploit this bug in a cyberattack.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Greenberg, who already owned a similar number of houses in the section, was expanding his holdings to exploit the housing crunch caused by urban renewal.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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 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

Al-Shabaab also exploits artisanal gold mines along the northern Cal Madow Mountains, according to Abdullahi, the former Somali commander.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Literally looking for new worlds to conquer, De Soto returned to Spain soon after his exploits in Peru.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

The hack probably isn’t; ShinyHunters claims to have exploited a flaw in software made by Oracle.

From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026

Researchers have already shown that AI agents can autonomously exploit software vulnerabilities; in one experiment, a GPT-4 agent successfully exploited 73% of vulnerabilities without being given prior knowledge.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

He ran an operation involving sham modelling agencies that exploited the dreams of aspiring young models and their parents for more than eight years.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

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

The irony being that the seniors thought they were actually saving the girls from being too exploited.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

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

The key is exploiting job-seeker anxiety, he noted: “They want somebody who is in a hurry to find a job.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026

"It will also be a tool to break the business model of cynical migrant smugglers that are exploiting vulnerable people who risk their lives on perilous journeys to Europe," they said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

“When attorneys are exploiting vulnerable people, including paying folks to file fraudulent claims, they’re not just breaking the law, they really undermine the credibility of the legal system and every attorney,” Zbur said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The design was so elegant, so adept at exploiting the strength of thin strands of steel, that the wheel appeared incapable of withstanding the stresses placed upon it.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

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