Meaning & use
abetting
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“abetting” is a form of “abet”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitivelegaldisapproving
Helping or encouraging someone to do something wrong, especially committing a crime.
Grammar: Often takes an object in abetting a crime, but appears without an object in aiding and abetting.
Patterns
- abetting someone in something
- abetting a crime
- aiding and abetting
- be accused of abetting
She denied abetting the fraud and said she only kept the records.
The law treats aiding and abetting as participation in the offence.
He was accused of abetting an escape by leaving a door unlocked.
Word forms
| third person singular | abets |
|---|---|
| past tense | abetted |
| past participle | abetted |
| -ing form | abetting |
Common combinations
- aiding and abetting
- The charge was aiding and abetting rather than carrying out the theft.
- abetting a crime
- Sharing the password could amount to abetting a crime.
- accused of abetting
- Two clerks were accused of abetting the false claims.
- active abetting
- The report described active abetting, not mere silence.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aiding
- General help; abetting usually has a legal sense of helping wrongdoing.
- instigating
- Causing an act to begin; abetting can continue during the act, not only start it.
- encouraging
- Giving support or approval; abetting often suggests practical help as well.
- facilitating
- Making something easier; unlike abetting, it may be entirely neutral.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: abetting or abating? abetting or bidding?
abetting vs abating
Abating means lessening, as in abating noise; abetting means helping wrongdoing.
abetting vs bidding
Bidding means offering a price or commanding; it only sounds slightly similar to abetting.
Practice
She is accused of ___ the escape.
Choose one answer.
After the preposition of, use the -ing form abetting; abating means reducing, while abet and abetted do not fit the of + gerund pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “abetting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.