to parasitize

Examples

• All

• If you're not ranking #1 with sitelinks for your own brand name, then you should be focused on quality traffic first—after you get lots of people knowing and searching for your brand, then worry about competitors parasitizing off your name at that time.

  Blog text (7)

• The fact that there is even an argument anywhere but in the seceding state about the secession immediately draws our attention to the unarguable fact that that state is being parasitized upon.

  Blog text (29)

• Other than parasitizing the workers, what have the unions done about it?

  Blog text (8)

• The banks swindled around $30,000 per person from the UK, while doing very little to support the economy that they parasitize.

  Blog text (8)

• And so they, the other widers, parasitize by laying their eggs in other nests.

• Greedy, power-hungry folks parasitize government and turn it to their self-interests.

  Blog text (4)

• Finally, one of the most persistent sources of discomfort about memes is the dread suspicion that an account of human minds in terms of brains being parasitized by memes will undermine the precious traditions of human creativity.

  Academic text (2001)

• Some businesses tend to parasitize off the hard work of their employees while giving little in return.

• They parasitize local communities, taking resources without contributing anything back.

Synonyms

T

to take advantage

vsto parasitize

549 4.6

To use a person or situation to get an unfair benefit for yourself

gets benefits from others while offering minimal or no return

T

to take advantage of

vsto parasitize

465 2.5

Use someone's trust or weakness to get something unfairly

is broader, implying ongoing extraction rather than one act

E

to exploit

vsto parasitize

214 5.6

To use someone or something in an unfair way to get an advantage

drains benefits while returning little or nothing

P

to prey

vsto parasitize

75 7.8

To use people who are weak or trusting to get what you want

does this while offering almost no return

V

to victimize

vsto parasitize

• US

7 7.2

Trick someone to take their money or things

covers longer term draining that may not rely on fraud

S

to sharecrop

vsto parasitize

8.8

To take most of someone's earnings while giving them little in return

focuses on taking benefits while giving minimal return

A

to act like vultures

vsto parasitize

• Offensive

8.4

Try to get something from people when they are in trouble in a greedy way

involves ongoing taking rather than only opportunistic profit

Antonyms

C

to contribute

883 2.7

To give money, help, or ideas to make something work

S

to support

753 1.4

Give money or other help so a person can live and study

How Exploitative

to parasitize

1 8.0

to take advantage of

465 2.5

to use

∞ 6.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology