exploit
exploit Lexical Profile
exploit Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To treat someone unfairly or selfishly in order to benefit from their work, vulnerability, or resources.
"Strict labor laws were enacted to prevent unscrupulous employers from exploiting seasonal workers."
To make full and productive use of and derive benefit from (a resource, opportunity, or situation).
"The region is seeking sustainable ways to exploit its abundant geothermal energy reserves."
• noun
A bold, daring, or heroic deed or notable achievement.
"The explorer's Arctic exploits were documented in several best-selling memoirs."
A piece of software, a chunk of data, or a sequence of commands that takes advantage of a bug or vulnerability in a computer system to cause unintended behavior or gain unauthorized access.
"The security team released an emergency patch after discovering a zero-day exploit in the browser."
Word Nuance & Usage
"Exploit" is a heteronym whose pronunciation shifts by part of speech: the noun is stressed on the first syllable (EK-sploit) and carries a positive connotation of bold achievement, whereas the verb is stressed on the second syllable (ik-SPLOIT) and frequently carries a negative sense of unfair manipulation, except in neutral contexts of developing resources.
• Rhymes for exploit
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English from Old French esploit ("achievement, advantage, revenue"), from Latin explicitum ("a thing settled or unfolded"), the neuter past participle of explicare ("to unfold, display").