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

Treasury, Emirati firms handle by far the world’s highest volume of Iran’s shadow funds, exploiting opaque registries and lax rules to keep Tehran solvent.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Our findings show just how critical it is to stabilize the mucus barrier. Looking ahead, we can imagine exploiting lectin properties to design proteins that actively reinforce that protective layer," Kiessling says.

From Science Daily

Front-running produces low-risk profits because you are exploiting the predictable price impact of trades already in the pipeline but not yet executed.

From MarketWatch

Given that set-plays are predictable, teams have the ability to prepare specific routines built around exploiting how the defending side typically set up.

From BBC

Hacking experts worry they will be good at exploiting them, too.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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