exploiting
Americannoun
-
the act of utilizing something, especially for profit.
More resources should be allocated to the exploiting of the local market by attracting more business to the region.
-
the act of using a person or thing selfishly for one’s own ends.
When I saw the commercial, I was appalled at the exploiting of children's sorrow for corporate gain.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of exploiting
First recorded in 1830–40; exploit 2 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; exploit 2 ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We will not profit from this event no matter what. We will not be making money on this event or exploiting at the birthday of our country in any way, shape or form.”
From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026
European firms such as major banks currently have no access to cutting-edge models like Anthropic's Mythos, supposed to be extremely powerful at finding and exploiting security holes.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
But the prime minister is cannily exploiting the divisions among them.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
Scammers have been exploiting the confusion, luring shipping companies to transfer substantial sums into cryptocurrency wallets they claim belongs to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
Even 20th-century plant breeders, armed with all the power of modern science, have had little success in exploiting North American wild plants.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
