What does “exploit” mean?
- 1
verbto treat someone unfairly to gain an advantage for yourself
The company exploited its workers with low pay.
- 2
verbto use something fully to get a benefit from it
We need to exploit our natural resources more efficiently.
- 3
nouna brave, exciting or unusual act
He loved telling stories about his exploits at sea.
Exploit at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb & noun
- CEFR level
- C1 (advanced)
- Pronunciation
- /ɪkˈsplɔɪt/ · ik-SPLOYT
How to use “exploit” correctly
The noun is stressed on the first syllable (EKS-ployt). The verb can be neutral (use well) or negative (use unfairly).
Common phrases with “exploit”
- exploit an opportunity
- exploit workers
- exploit a weakness
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- exploitation
- exploitative
“exploit” is on these word lists
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