abet

IPA/əˈbet/
KK[əbˈɛt]IPA/əˈbet/

abet — verb

  • abetpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • abetshe / she / it
  • abettedpast simple
  • abetting-ing form

1. to deliberately help, encourage, or support someone in carrying out an illegal o

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to deliberately help, encourage, or support someone in carrying out an illegal or morally wrong action, especially one that involves serious harm or deception.

例句

Élise was arrested for abetting her cousin in a bank fraud scheme.

abet + someone + in + [wrongdoing]

The security guard abetted the burglars by leaving every door unlocked.

abet + someone + by + doing something

同義詞
  • aid

    neutral; can apply to any kind of help, legal or illegal

  • encourage

    weaker; focuses on emotional or verbal support rather than concrete assistance

  • incite

    stronger; implies urging someone to action, often through persuasion or pressure

  • instigate

    focuses on starting or causing something, not just supporting it

反義詞
  • discourage

    to persuade someone not to do something

  • deter

    to prevent through fear or doubt about the consequences

  • hinder

    to obstruct or make an action more difficult

文法句型

abet + someone + in + (doing) something

aid and abet + someone/something

abet + someone + by + doing something

abet + noun (crime/fraud/theft)

用法筆記

Frequently occurs in the fixed legal phrase 'aid and abet,' where 'aid' means to help and 'abet' means to encourage. The object is always something wrongful — a crime, fraud, or other illegal activity. This is a formal term rarely used in casual conversation.

常見錯誤

❌She abetted him to study for the exam.
✅She abetted him in robbing the convenience store.
💡'abet' always involves wrongdoing; it cannot be used for neutral or positive help.
❌He abetted her with the project.
✅He aided and abetted the illegal sale of property.
💡'abet' without 'aid' is less common in legal English; the pair 'aid and abet' is the idiomatic legal charge.