What does "exploit" mean?
Exploit: Combat; war. [Obs.] He made haste to exploit some warlike service. Holland.
Additional senses
- 2.Etym: [F. exploiter.] To utilize; to make available; to get the value or usefulness out of; as, to exploit a mine or agricultural lands; to exploit public opinion. [Recent]
- 3.Hence: To draw an illegitimate profit from; to speculate on; to put upon. [Recent] In no sense whatever does a man who accumulates a fortune by legitimate industry exploit his employés or make his capital "out of" anybody else. W. G. Sumner.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00