1
as in abuses
to take unfair advantage of
the type of person who exploits a friend's good nature by constantly sponging off of him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in manipulates
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means
a politician more than willing to exploit any national tragedy for political gain
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in uses
to put into action or service
it will be a shame if you don't exploit your artistic talent to the fullest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in feats
an act of notable skill, strength, or cleverness
the fanciful exploits of the giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in things
something done by someone
once famed as an actor, John Wilkes Booth is now remembered for a single exploit, his assassination of Lincoln
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in experiences
an exciting or noteworthy event that one experiences firsthand
a memoir recounting three decades of exploits as a roving foreign correspondent for TV news
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of exploits
Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
For Abercrombie & Fitch, fraud often exploits early refund programs and customer service escalation, according to Rob Sondergaard, the apparel retailer’s senior director of returns, fraud and abuse.
—Peter Sadera, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
The signal sent by the tumor exploits this system, much like malicious code used by a hacker.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
Levich also dispels claims that surrogacy exploits women.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
Fractal compression exploits this principle directly, representing images as systems of iterated functions rather than grids of pixels.
—Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Much as a private security company exploits rising risks to increase the cost of its services, Washington exploits European vulnerability and enjoys the attendant escalation of tension between Russia and its European allies.
—Ivan Krastev, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
While the American military base RDA relentlessly exploits Pandora, Sully and his family seek refuge with the reef-dwelling, aquatic clan of Metkayina.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
And nobody exploits a flaw quite like a cornered Shanahan.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 Feb. 2026
Youngblood impressed him with tales of his exploits and connections after meeting him through his father.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
There are myriad social media videos of Hughes’ on-ice exploits for the Wild as his first 26 games in Minnesota have been an all-out assault on the franchise record book.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2026
No one understands or exploits that shaggy zone quite like Bannon.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Perhaps the only player in baseball history whose retirement exploits seem to have cost him his place in the Hall of Fame, hurler Curt Schilling didn’t become a full-time starting pitcher until age 25.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 9 Feb. 2026
Buck had to hear about his dad's exploits—his legend—from others, but a hint was as basic as his name.
—CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
Reaching an impressive 52 feet, the limestone structure is covered in Parian marble, with sculptural relief panels that tell the story of the emperor’s life and military exploits.
—Erica Firpo, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Everybody knows about Mike Vrabel’s exploits as a player.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
At the same time, the regime shamelessly exploits international sporting events to legitimize itself and whitewash its crimes.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
For Abercrombie & Fitch, fraud often exploits early refund programs and customer service escalation, according to Rob Sondergaard, the apparel retailer’s senior director of returns, fraud and abuse.
—Peter Sadera, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
The signal sent by the tumor exploits this system, much like malicious code used by a hacker.
—Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
Levich also dispels claims that surrogacy exploits women.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
Fractal compression exploits this principle directly, representing images as systems of iterated functions rather than grids of pixels.
—Amir Husain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Much as a private security company exploits rising risks to increase the cost of its services, Washington exploits European vulnerability and enjoys the attendant escalation of tension between Russia and its European allies.
—Ivan Krastev, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
While the American military base RDA relentlessly exploits Pandora, Sully and his family seek refuge with the reef-dwelling, aquatic clan of Metkayina.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026
And nobody exploits a flaw quite like a cornered Shanahan.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
More on what’s happening with Heathcliff and Cathy’s exploits around the world here.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 Feb. 2026
Youngblood impressed him with tales of his exploits and connections after meeting him through his father.
—Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
There are myriad social media videos of Hughes’ on-ice exploits for the Wild as his first 26 games in Minnesota have been an all-out assault on the franchise record book.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2026
No one understands or exploits that shaggy zone quite like Bannon.
—Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
Perhaps the only player in baseball history whose retirement exploits seem to have cost him his place in the Hall of Fame, hurler Curt Schilling didn’t become a full-time starting pitcher until age 25.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 9 Feb. 2026
Buck had to hear about his dad's exploits—his legend—from others, but a hint was as basic as his name.
—CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026
Reaching an impressive 52 feet, the limestone structure is covered in Parian marble, with sculptural relief panels that tell the story of the emperor’s life and military exploits.
—Erica Firpo, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
Everybody knows about Mike Vrabel’s exploits as a player.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exploits
Verb
-
Malware often abuses them to take control of your device.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
As a child, Heathcliff’s main tormenter is Cathy’s brother, Hindley, who physically abuses Heathcliff and forces him to work in the stables as a servant.—
Becky Little,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Just like Rodgers did a decade earlier, Prescott manipulates the flat defender (circled in red) and hits CeeDee Lamb in stride just behind the linebacker.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Throughout the process, the robot simultaneously navigates, avoids obstacles, and manipulates objects without human guidance.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The committee uses 12 criteria to determine who belongs in the field and where teams should be seeded.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Some suburbs are considering microtransit alternatives to DART, similar to the on-demand system Arlington uses in lieu of mass transit.—
Lilly Kersh,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The culinary feats are just part of the overall experience, though.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The Centurions have nabbed the Foothill League title and a playoff win, feats that eluded the program for over five years.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In the past few months, however, things have changed.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
-
There’s something about studying real-life situations that have happened and then creating and imagining into this fictional kind of characterization of things.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
One of the most formative experiences in my career has been handling family and domestic violence matters, where the legal issues are complex and the human stakes are very real.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
His experiences now aid him in helping leaders overcome their own mental barriers and achieve exceptional performance without overwhelm.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Activism thrives on corporate uncertainty and increasingly leverages a fast-changing media environment to exert pressure.—
Sam Wolf,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Enforcement leverages platform control and algorithm filing systems.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The filling utilizes whole lemons (except the seeds), sliced thin and macerated in sugar for several hours (or overnight) to soften and sweeten the peel, and then combined with a custard filling.—
Carolynn Carreño,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The show utilizes vivid color and energetic music to encourage kids to participate in the various adventures and activities, whether that’s mimicking Danny’s dance moves, flying like an airplane, or battling the aforementioned gravity-defying goldfish.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Exploits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exploits. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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