Meaning of Idiom ‘Aid and Abet’
To aid and abet someone means to help and/or encourage them to commit a crime.
Sentence Examples
“The DOJ wants to know if anyone in the administration aided and abetted the insurrectionists.”
“He was found guilty of aiding and abetting in a robbery.”
“If you aid and abet someone in a crime, you are just as guilty as they are.”
“When she took her brother’s call, she knew she would be aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
Origin
Originally a legal term, aid and abet has been used since at least the mid-1800s. The word abet comes from the French word abeter meaning “to bait, to harass with dogs” or, in other words, to cause a dog to bite someone.
