abet
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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abetsimple
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abetssimple
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have abettedperfect
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has abettedperfect
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am abettingprogressive
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are abettingprogressive
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is abettingprogressive
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have been abettingperfect progressive
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has been abettingperfect progressive
Past
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abettedsimple
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had abettedperfect
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was abettingprogressive
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were abettingprogressive
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had been abettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abet
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English abette (source of Old French abeter, unless the latter, of Germanic origin, is the source of the Middle English), unattested Old English ābǣtan “to hound on,” equivalent to ā- a- 3 + bǣtan “to hunt, chase with dogs, pasture”; see origin at bait; akin to bite
Explanation
To abet is to help someone do something, usually something wrong. If you were the lookout while your older sister swiped cookies from the cookie jar, you abetted her mischief. The verb abet can be used to generally mean encouragement, but people usually expect to see it in relation to some crime. "The singer was abetted by a pianist in her rendition of Silver Bells," for example, is a harmless construction. However, people more often expect abet in a sentence like this: "She was charged with aiding and abetting the burglar because she drove the getaway car." Abet comes from an Old French word abeter meaning "to bait."
Vocabulary lists containing abet
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Antigone
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Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"And I'm not going to aid and abet them in their efforts to do that."
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
Mexico’s complaint alleged that the named firearms manufacturers and the named distributor aid and abet rogue dealers in the U.S. who illegally sell firearms to straw purchasers.
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2025
“They will exploit any images of disorder to abet and support it.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2024
In June, the governor signed legislation to give local agencies clearer authority to fine landlords, suppliers and others who abet illegal operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2022
Oh yes, there were plenty to aid and abet him; even he could not have held a horse race without someone to race against.
From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner
Ms. Shorr emphasizes a social asymmetry that abets Martin’s lies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026
Their indecisiveness goes to the heart of the show, whose fundamental message is that supernatural evil abets, hides behind and jealously competes with everyday human evil.
From New York Times ● May 22, 2024
It not only cuts methane emissions but returns nutrients to the soil, allows the ground to hold precious moisture and abets the “sinking” of Earth-warming carbon dioxide into the soil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
"Silence abets state hostage taking," it said, adding that the government should use "the strongest possible language" to call out cases where detentions are being used for leverage.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2023
‘Ma abets him. And Ma says it’s not suitable for grown women like Madge and Dorcas to be carrying buckets through the streets. So I’m the one.’
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
The California-based computer networking giant rejects the accusations that it "aided and abetted" human rights abuses against members of the Falun Gong, which has been banned in China since 1999.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
Thomas is still untangling the frightening mirage that was the past four months of his life, but he says his most dangerous delusions were abetted by the most sycophantic version of ChatGPT: GPT-4.
From Slate ● Feb. 2, 2026
The real crash happened that year, after the Smoot-Hawley tariffs and a series of bank failures, abetted by bad Federal Reserve policy, sent the economy and the market into a tailspin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
At a trial this summer, the jury found that Geragos aided and abetted Avenatti and ultimately breached his duties as a lawyer, but the panel determined that Franklin was not substantially harmed by Geragos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
Also, they soon saw that the physical force was abetted by a moral one.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Plaintiffs took this as an invitation to shake down U.S. companies for abetting alleged human-rights violations in foreign countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
But at the same time he’s abetting the union campaign by parroting their arguments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, denies five charges of aiding and abetting his alleged offending.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, denies five related charges of aiding and abetting.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
“She is guilty of aiding and abetting an enemy of the gods.”
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
