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

Ask for the fraud department or an elder financial exploitation team if the bank has one. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026

But the practice raises not only privacy concerns and questions of consent but also broader fears of worker exploitation. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 26 June 2026

The legal standard would have required online platforms to identify and mitigate risks such as financial exploitation and reform design features linked to mental health harms. — Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 2 July 2026

Its settlement and exploitation have been slowed by its distance from the rest of the country and by geographic and climatic impediments to travel and communications. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 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