abetting 1 of 2

adjective

as in assisting

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abetting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of abet
1
as in provoking
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being the belief that violent entertainment abets violent behavior in the people who partake of it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in aiding
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

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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 abetting
Verb
With the goal of smuggling themselves to Turkey, the women are eventually found out for keeping a secret or two from the conspirators abetting their plan. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026 Prosecutors won a 77-year sentence on Wednesday for 27-year-old Kyle Spitze on charges of producing child pornography, possessing and accessing the material, and abetting the distribution of animal crush videos. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026 The White House has in recent days also pressured Israel’s leader to condemn Israeli settlers’ siege of Palestinians in the West Bank, which soldiers stand accused of abetting. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Olivia Hernandez Olivo was sentenced in June 2025 after her attorney entered an Alford plea for aiding and abetting in second-degree murder on her behalf. — Shannon Tyler june 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 June 2026 Donaldson’s wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, has denied several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending. — ABC News, 11 June 2026 On Friday, May 29, Kenneth Law, 60, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of aiding and abetting suicide in Canada, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a news release. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026 Thomas Peters, who had been Feuer’s chief of civil litigation, entered a guilty plea in 2022 to aiding and abetting extortion in an attempt to cover up what the city attorney’s office had done. — The Editorial Board, Daily News, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abetting
  1. provoking
  2. aiding
  3. promoting
  4. assisting
  5. encouraging
  6. helping
  7. raising
  8. inciting
Verb
  • The best of these films are simultaneously suspenseful, thought-provoking and dazzling.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 27 Oct. 2026
  • In 2012 American entrepreneur Russ George spread roughly 100 tons of iron in the North Pacific, provoking international criticism that a commercial venture had begun geoengineering without adequate oversight.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of provoking
Verb
  • Edwards previously pleaded guilty to aiding in the preparation of a false tax return on March 25, court records show.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Mercury followed suit later that month, aiding Venus’ soul-searching with its thorough detective work.
    — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of aiding
Verb
  • The canals will act as stormwater infrastructure for the island while promoting recreational activity, according to that document.
    — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
  • An organization with Republican ties has distributed fliers promoting a socialist candidate, an apparent effort to pull support away from Brown.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of promoting
Verb
  • Gritsyuk and Hischier each scored their fifth goal of the season, with Jesper Bratt assisting on both scores.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control section, which prosecutes spies, is assisting the DOJ in the case.
    — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of assisting
Verb
  • Traditional vendor evaluations reward platforms that maximize match rates, encouraging systems to force low-confidence records into identities simply to return an answer.
    — Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • As Election Day approaches, organizations like ours will be encouraging women to vote because doing so matters enormously.
    — Sharon Sewell-Fairman, New York Daily News, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraging
Verb
  • He is widely credited with liberalizing Israel’s economy and helping transform the country into a global high-tech hub.
    — Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Maria would spend years debating the ideas of early economics with Malthus, his friends, and eventually his successor, helping to influence their thinking and inform their research.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of helping
Verb
  • Recast as geometry, the old identities now point toward unmapped territory, raising questions that mathematicians are eager to explore.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Reader poll shows opposition The latest debate comes just a week after the council approved raising its members’ annual salaries by nearly 74%, from $69,000 to $119,750, beginning with the next term.
    — Natalie Jones, Baltimore Sun, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of raising
Verb
  • He was sentenced to six years for inciting terrorism and extremism.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
  • And then all of a sudden this inciting event happens, and they’re thrown, unprepared, into this world.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of inciting

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Cite this Entry

“Abetting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abetting. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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