Make Your Point: EXPLOIT

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pronounce EXPLOIT:

For the noun, say "EX ploit," as in "Tell me about your latest exploits."

For the verb, say "ex PLOIT," as in "They've exploited all these natural resources."

Hear it.

connect this word to others:

(Source)

If the Duke of Weselton had managed to exploit (or make use of) Arendelle's riches, you can bet he would have exaggerated the tale of his success later, making his exploits (or achievements) sound grander and nobler than they were.

So: exploits are accomplishments, events that unfolded; and to exploit something is to make use of it, as if to unfold it. So you can see how, in the most literal sense of the word, to exploit is to unfold.

That explains why the word exploit looks so much like these:

1. Expl___t, meaning "fully explained, clearly expressed, as if folded completely outward."

2. Inexpli____e, meaning "making no sense, lacking clarity, as if unable to be folded completely outward."

Can you recall both?

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Exploit" has Latin bits that literally mean "to fold out," or "to bend out."

In English, originally, "exploit" meant "speed in carrying things out," as well as "to carry something out, or to unfold something: to explain it, or interpret it, or give an account of it." But over hundreds of years, the meaning warped and expanded, from "carrying out" to "bringing out" to "accomplishing" to "achieving." Whew.

Today, a person's exploits are their achievements, their accomplishments: the notable, excellent, admirable things that they've done.

And, today, to exploit things, or to exploit people, can simply mean to draw from them, or make good use of them (as if you're fully "unfolding" them to put them to good use). Much more often, though, to exploit things or people today is to make use of them in an unfair, tricky, greedy, or abusive way.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Often a noun, the countable kind. We most often use it in the plural: "The memoir recounts her various exploits;" "He regaled us with his exploits abroad."

And often a verb, the transitive kind: "The company exploited its workers;" "Early American settlers exploited the land."

Other forms:

The other verb forms are "exploited" and "exploiting," and the noun for the action is "exploitation."

You might describe people and things who get exploited as "exploitable," with "exploitability."

And people and behaviors that exploit things and people are "exploitative" or, if you prefer, "exploitational."

how to use it:

Depending on whether you use the noun or the verb, "exploit" takes on very different tones.

The noun has a positive, exciting, old-fashioned tone: "The movie brings his swashbuckling exploits to life."

The verb most often has a negative, critical tone: "They exploit their enemy's weaknesses." "Alfred Hitchcock exploited his actors, abusing and assaulting them."

examples:

"Pizarro was born into the lower fringes of the nobility and hoped by his exploits to earn titles, offices, and pensions from the Spanish crown."
— Charles C. Mann, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, 2005

"Every emotion I have has been taken and exploited by the Capitol or the rebels."
— Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, 2010

has this page helped you understand "exploit"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain both meanings of "exploit" without saying "achievement" or "misuse."

try it out:

Exploitation is often bad, cruel, selfish, illegal, and immoral. But it doesn't have to be. It can be neutral, even good: you can exploit things by putting them to very good use.

Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something) has (a feature, a strength, an ability, a talent, or an advantage of some sort), and we can exploit that."

Example 1: "In the game Squareword, certain words appear in puzzle after puzzle, like ENTRY and ALOHA, and we can exploit that."

Example 2: "'You have a natural counterattack and that's a strength we can exploit. I'm going to have fun turning you into a [fencing] champion, Ibtihaj.'"
— Ibtihaj Muhammad, Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream, 2018

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for April: Interpret the Titles!

I'll give you the title of some book, movie, or other creation, along with a summary, and I'll challenge you to interpret the title in three different ways.

For examples, and some tips if you get stuck, head here!

Try this one today: Charlotte's Web is a 1952 novel by E. B. White. Here's a summary from eNotes.com: "Wilbur is a spring pig, and he is distressed to learn that he is being fattened for slaughter in the fall. Charlotte [the spider] resolves to save Wilbur... Charlotte explains to Wilbur that people are very gullible... she decides to show everyone how special Wilbur is by writing 'SOME PIG' in her web... Word spreads, people come to see the miracle web, and everyone agrees that Wilbur really is 'some pig.' ... The words appearing in Charlotte’s web do seem to be miraculous. On the other hand, webs themselves are miraculous. How do spiders learn to create such intricate designs? ... Charlotte calls a meeting to learn more words she can write in her web. They decide that [the rat] Templeton, who enjoys going to the dump, should return with a magazine. Charlotte uses the words she learns and writes 'TERRIFIC' and 'RADIANT.' It seems that Wilbur rises to occasion both times... Charlotte uses the last of her strength to make her egg sac, in which there are five hundred and fourteen eggs. Although Wilbur finds her egg sac impressive, few others notice it." And, I'll spoil the ending: Charlotte dies, Wilbur and Templeton save her egg sac, and Wilbur lives on as a special pet, saved from the slaughter, befriending three of Charlotte's babies.

1. It's titled Charlotte's Web because... ?

2. It's titled Charlotte's Web because... ?

3. It's titled Charlotte's Web because... ?

To see some possible answers, scroll all the way down!

review this word:

1. One opposite of EXPLOIT is

A. PROTECT.
B. ATTACK.
C. QUACK.

2. In The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien wrote, "He kept _____ his own exploits, _____."

A. adjusting .. depending upon his rate of metabolism
B. replaying .. tacking on little flourishes that never happened
C. glimmering .. like the quarter moon rising over the nighttime paddies

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
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From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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