exploiting

American  

[ik-sploi-ting] / ɪkˈsplɔɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

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adjective

1. using a person or thing selfishly or for profit.

   In late czarist Russia, activists began to galvanize workers and peasants against the exploiting landowners, industrialists, and state.

Other Word Forms

• self-exploiting
  adjective

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

He said they were "exploiting the gap in enforcement" outside the council's normal working hours.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

The world is burning and everyone is exploiting it for their own gain.

From Salon • May 1, 2026

But the land was fertile, and the Native Americans told of even richer soil to the east, ideal for encomiendas, as large Spanish-ruled plantations exploiting indigenous labor were called.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

But some firms appear to be exploiting the supply crunch by stockpiling syringes and selling them at higher prices, according to the ministry.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

But the lab, which was rechristened Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1980, thrived and expanded by exploiting its productive relationship with the Air Force and the Navy.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• crooked
• fraudulent
• nefarious
• rotten
• shady
• unethical
• unscrupulous
• untrustworthy
• venal