abet

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Related to abets: abetters

a·bet

 (ə-bĕt′)
tr.v. a·bet·ted, a·bet·ting, a·bets
1. To approve, encourage, and support (an action or a plan of action); urge and help on.
2. To urge, encourage, or help (a person): abetted the thief in robbing the bank.

[Middle English abetten, from Old French abeter, to entice : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + beter, to bait; see bheid- in Indo-European roots.]

a·bet′ment n.
a·bet′tor, a·bet′ter n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

abet

(əˈbɛt)
vb, abets, abetting or abetted
(tr) to assist or encourage, esp in crime or wrongdoing
[C14: from Old French abeter to lure on, entice, from beter to bait]
aˈbetment, aˈbettal n
aˈbetter, aˈbettor n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

a•bet

(əˈbɛt)

v.t. a•bet•ted, a•bet•ting.
to encourage, support, or countenance by aid or approval, usu. in wrongdoing.
[1275–1325; Middle English abette, Old English *ābǣtan to hound on =ā- a-3 + bǣtan to bait, akin to bite]
a•bet′ment, a•bet′tal, n.
a•bet′tor, a•bet′ter, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

abet


Past participle: abetted
Gerund: abetting

Imperative
abet
abet
Present
I abet
you abet
he/she/it abets
we abet
you abet
they abet
Preterite
I abetted
you abetted
he/she/it abetted
we abetted
you abetted
they abetted
Present Continuous
I am abetting
you are abetting
he/she/it is abetting
we are abetting
you are abetting
they are abetting
Present Perfect
I have abetted
you have abetted
he/she/it has abetted
we have abetted
you have abetted
they have abetted
Past Continuous
I was abetting
you were abetting
he/she/it was abetting
we were abetting
you were abetting
they were abetting
Past Perfect
I had abetted
you had abetted
he/she/it had abetted
we had abetted
you had abetted
they had abetted
Future
I will abet
you will abet
he/she/it will abet
we will abet
you will abet
they will abet
Future Perfect
I will have abetted
you will have abetted
he/she/it will have abetted
we will have abetted
you will have abetted
they will have abetted
Future Continuous
I will be abetting
you will be abetting
he/she/it will be abetting
we will be abetting
you will be abetting
they will be abetting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been abetting
you have been abetting
he/she/it has been abetting
we have been abetting
you have been abetting
they have been abetting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been abetting
you will have been abetting
he/she/it will have been abetting
we will have been abetting
you will have been abetting
they will have been abetting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been abetting
you had been abetting
he/she/it had been abetting
we had been abetting
you had been abetting
they had been abetting
Conditional
I would abet
you would abet
he/she/it would abet
we would abet
you would abet
they would abet
Past Conditional
I would have abetted
you would have abetted
he/she/it would have abetted
we would have abetted
you would have abetted
they would have abetted
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.abet - assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoingabet - assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
assist - act as an assistant in a subordinate or supportive function
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

abet

verb
1. help, aid, encourage, sustain, assist, uphold, back, second, incite, egg on, succour We shall strike hard at terrorists and those who abet them.
2. encourage, further, forward, promote, urge, boost, prompt, spur, foster, incite, connive at The media have abetted the feeling of unreality.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

abet

verb
To give support or assistance:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُسَاعِدُ عَلَى جَرِيمَه
navádětpodporovat
opmuntretilskynde
avustaatukeaylläpitääyllyttää
adjutarincitarincorariar
aîstoîa, hvetja
kurstytipadėti
kūdīt
arka vermekteşvik etmek
khíchtiếp tayxúi bẩyxúi giục

abet

[əˈbet] VT [+ criminal] → incitar; [+ crime] → instigar
to abet sb in a crimeser cómplice de algn en un delito
see also aid 2
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

abet

[əˈbɛt] vt
[+ criminal] → aider, encourager
see aid
(= make possible) [+ crime, injustice, terrorist act] → aider à commettre
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

abet

vt crime, criminalbegünstigen, Vorschub leisten (+dat); (fig)unterstützen
vi ? aid VT
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

abet

(əˈbet) past tense, past participle aˈbetted verb
to help or encourage to do something wrong. He abetted his cousin in robbing the bank.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
She reads entirely too much--" this to Marilla as the little girls went out--"and I can't prevent her, for her father aids and abets her.
"'That, whereas certain ambassadors arrived from the Court of Blefuscu, to sue for peace in his majesty's court, he, the said Flestrin, did, like a false traitor, aid, abet, comfort, and divert, the said ambassadors, although he knew them to be servants to a prince who was lately an open enemy to his imperial majesty, and in an open war against his said majesty.
Now I must caution you that if you abet him once, you abet him for good and all; if you step in between him and me, now, you must step in, Miss Trotwood, for ever.
They wonder why I am not ready to abet and whet their wisdom: as if they had not yet enough of wiseacres, whose voices grate on mine ear like slate- pencils!
Say, didst thou too abet This crime, or dost abjure all privity?