1
as in provoked
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the belief that violent entertainment abets violent behavior in the people who partake of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in aided
to provide (someone) with what is useful or necessary to achieve an end
car thieves are often unwittingly abetted by owners foolishly leaving the keys in the ignition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in supported
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abetted
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
The book reveals a network of drug trafficking conspiracies that corrupt police abetted and that the military covered up.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
The culture of criticism, abetted by new technology, isn’t going away.
—Big Think, 13 Aug. 2025
Being successful in America, according to Part II, inherently means becoming the bad guy, and Francis Ford Coppola mourns that fact, abetted by arguably Pacino’s finest, most sorrowful performance as a man who sells every bit of his soul to maintain his power.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
The result plays well moment-to-moment, much abetted by Nate Hurtsellers’ somberly handsome cinematography, plus a diverse, expressive original score from Macie Stewart and Quinn Tsan.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Similar unflattering reporting by other news organizations only further abetted his comeback.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
Across the Arab world, the general sense is that the United States aided, abetted, and armed a genocide against the Palestinian people.
—Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2025
In City Council, the two were eagerly abetted by others who included Ald.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2024
Adjective
The book details the investigation into a string of unsolved killings in and around the special operations base, revealing a network of narco-trafficking conspiracies that corrupt police abetted and the military covered up.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
The book reveals a network of drug trafficking conspiracies that corrupt police abetted and that the military covered up.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025
The culture of criticism, abetted by new technology, isn’t going away.
—Big Think, 13 Aug. 2025
Being successful in America, according to Part II, inherently means becoming the bad guy, and Francis Ford Coppola mourns that fact, abetted by arguably Pacino’s finest, most sorrowful performance as a man who sells every bit of his soul to maintain his power.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025
The result plays well moment-to-moment, much abetted by Nate Hurtsellers’ somberly handsome cinematography, plus a diverse, expressive original score from Macie Stewart and Quinn Tsan.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Similar unflattering reporting by other news organizations only further abetted his comeback.
—Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
Across the Arab world, the general sense is that the United States aided, abetted, and armed a genocide against the Palestinian people.
—Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2025
In City Council, the two were eagerly abetted by others who included Ald.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abetted
Verb
-
In practice, that could mean a withdrawal of political cover for Israel's ongoing invasion of Gaza, which has provoked outrage among European and Arab nations as famine conditions spread.—
Gram Slattery,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The moves provoked legal challenges over First Amendment rights.—
Dan Gooding
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Star further reported that firefighters at the scene did not have advanced life saving equipment on scene, which might have aided in their resuscitation efforts.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
-
This was aided by structural cost reductions of around £120 million, as M&S continued to simplify its store operations and support centres while investing in automation and efficiencies.—
John Choong,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In his acceptance speech, Cooper revealed only started drama classes a couple of years ago and encouraged those watching to step out of their comfort zones.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
-
In recent years, as American moms have been enthusiastically encouraged to breastfeed, many experts have emphasized that making sure infants are fed, period, should be parents’ highest priority.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Prior to his Premier League move, Datro Fofana scored 24 goals and assisted a further eight in 65 appearances for Molde, who play in the Eliteserien, Norway’s top-flight.—
Leon Imber,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Dickinson then scored a power-play goal, assisted by Graf, with six seconds left in the second period to draw the Sharks within one goal.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
That bout was promoted as his return to the ring after a 19-year retirement and was widely regarded as a fitting sendoff.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The past few weeks have seen the departures of Heidi Gardner, Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim, plus the splitting up of Please Don’t Destroy as Ben Marshall was promoted to main cast, Martin Herlihy moved to writing staff and John Higgins left the show.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Supporters argue the task force helped modernize parts of the justice system and address racial disparities.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Kirk helped Trump's presidential campaigns attract young voters.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Retailers that sell any non-approved items could face a fine of $1,000 per day per product.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Rather, employees simply enroll in any courses from four pre-approved universities and the cost is covered.—
Kate Vitasek,
Forbes.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abetted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abetted. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share