exploitation

noun

ex·​ploi·​ta·​tion ˌek-ˌsplȯi-ˈtā-shən 

: an act or instance of exploiting

exploitation of natural resources

exploitation of immigrant laborers

clever exploitation of the system

Examples of exploitation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Court records show that most of the financial exploitation was related to improvements to the Monroe home. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

Based on the environments investigated, exploitation was not limited to a single sector or geographic area. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

The organization said some attacks were carried out unilaterally, but most depended on the cooperation or exploitation of institutions in the host country. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Organizations cannot assume every vulnerability will be found and fixed before exploitation. — Robert Bobel, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from exploiter "to exploit entry 2" + -ation -ation

First Known Use

1795, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for exploitation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation