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
Cease fire; stop genocide; end investments abetting settler colonialism. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 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
  • Trotting out this try-hard trifecta of confusing, uninspired installments in a year that’s seen so many entertaining, thought-provoking additions to the horror genre?
    — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Tom Cruise‘s Digger is being called a very big swing of a dramatic satire that’s provoking very mixed reactions after the film’s first press screenings.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of provoking
Verb
  • The facility — slated to be 110,000,000 square feet — will be where Tesla, SpaceX and xAI, which SpaceX acquired ahead of the IPO, manufacture chips for computing, aiding both SpaceX and Tesla.
    — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026
  • For the latter, this is vital to enable the safe passage of ships through shipping lanes, into and out of ports, all the while preventing collisions and aiding activities like search and rescue.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of aiding
Verb
  • Duff returned to touring this year after nearly two decades off the road to launch her Lucky Me Tour, promoting her February album release Luck… Or Something.
    — Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
  • National Organization for Women president Kim Villanueva described the content as often promoting women as objects and encouraging or glorifying rape culture.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of promoting
Verb
  • Gens-Ustjanauskas went on to help thousands of immigrants navigate complex immigration systems, assisting USCIS and other federal agencies, the Gens Family Project said.
    — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Video obtained by the Daily News shows police assisting EMS in lifting the wounded detective off the street, where blood can be seen pooling along the curb, and onto a gurney.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of assisting
Verb
  • Her mom was one of her earliest patrons, encouraging Lanell to paint for at least one hour per day throughout her childhood.
    — Jewel Wicker, AJC.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Jag Nagendra is challenging stereotypes by encouraging greater participation and visibility in the community.
    — The Sacramento Bee staff, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraging
Verb
  • Guests are welcome to contribute to the fun by helping forage for ingredients.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Cho Eun-hee | South Korea Chef and culinary educator Cho Eun-hee is helping to transform Korean food from a pop-culture fad to global fine dining.
    — Ashleigh Nghiem, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of helping
Verb
  • The Ratepayer Protection Act, meant to prevent data centers from raising electricity prices, enjoyed sweeping support in the House from all but three Democrats while all but four of their colleagues in the Senate opposed it.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
  • While encouraging and raising the odds of the Fed holding borrowing costs steady at its October meeting, the level of market rates has become quite competitive with stocks — not to mention, elevated inflation still eats away at returns.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of raising
Verb
  • She is actually infected, and Bryan has become caught up in the franchise’s inciting t-virus outbreak.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Various extremist actors in Germany are inciting hatred and violence against Jews or the State of Israel, or denying its right to exist.
    — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 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 8 Oct. 2026.

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