hack

1 of 7

verb (1)

ˈhak 

hacked; hacking; hacks

transitive verb

1

a

: to cut or sever with repeated irregular or unskillful blows

b

: to cut or shape by or as if by crude or ruthless strokes

hacking out new election districts

c

: annoy, vex

—often used with off

He gets really hacked off when people cheat.

2

: to clear or make by or as if by cutting away vegetation

hacked his way through the brush

3

a

informal : to manage successfully

just couldn't hack the new job

b

informal : tolerate

I can't hack all this noise

4

: to gain illegal access to (a computer network, system, etc.)

In the last decade they have hacked computer networks in Estonia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, France, and Bulgaria—often stealing data.

—The New York Times

… perhaps I would have become one of those lost souls wandering the basement of MIT playing with computers and hacking the telephone network.

—Lee Smolin

intransitive verb

1

a

: to make chopping strokes or blows

hacked at the weeds

also : to make cuts as if by chopping

hacking away at the work force

b

: to play inexpert golf

2

: to cough in a short dry manner

3

: loaf

—usually used with around

hacking around at the corner drugstore

—Ruth McKenney

4

a

: to write computer programs for enjoyment

b

: to gain access to a computer illegally

trying to hack into the network

hack

2 of 7

noun (1)

1

: a tool for rough cutting or chopping : an implement for hacking

2

: nick, notch

3

: a short dry cough

4

: a rough or irregular cutting stroke : a hacking blow

5

: restriction to quarters as punishment for naval officers

—usually used in the phrase under hack

6

a

: a usually creatively improvised solution to a computer hardware or programming problem or limitation

… the 33 MHz processor that powers these PDAs is too weak to drive MP3 music files. Sony created a neat hack: it added a digital-signal processing chip that bypasses the operating system.

—Josh Quittner

b

: an act or instance of gaining or attempting to gain illegal access to a computer or computer system

Methods for protecting what needs to be protected are available in the marketplace and work very well. Most security breaches are insider jobs, not hacks.

—Samuel L. Earp

The center is divided into seven directorates. Among these is the Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team, whose nonclassified function is to report vulnerabilities and security violations such as hacks and virus incidents.

—Jim Wilson

Almost 100 million cars … are vulnerable to numerous hacks that could let thieves unlock them remotely through a wireless signal …

—Cara McGoogan

c

: a clever tip or technique for doing or improving something

We asked entrepreneurs across industries to share their favorite productivity hacks, from useful organization apps to clever tricks for cutting down meeting times.

—Richard Feloni

see also life hack

hack

3 of 7

noun (2)

1

a

: hackney sense 2

b(1)

: taxicab

(2)

: cabdriver

2

a(1)

: a horse let out for common hire

(2)

: a horse used in all kinds of work

b

: a horse worn out in service : jade

c

: a light easy saddle horse

especially : a three-gaited saddle horse

d

: a ride on a horse

3

a

: a person who works solely for mercenary reasons : hireling

party hacks

b

: a writer who works on order

also : a writer who aims solely for commercial success

c

: hacker sense 2

a tennis hack

hack

4 of 7

adjective

1

: working for hire especially with mediocre professional standards

a hack journalist

2

: performed by or suited to a person who works or writes purely for the purpose of earning money : characteristic of a hack : mediocre

hack writing

3

: hackneyed, trite

hack dramatic scenes

hack

5 of 7

verb (2)

hacked; hacking; hacks

intransitive verb

1

: to ride or drive at an ordinary pace or over the roads especially as distinguished from racing or hunting

2

: to operate a taxicab

transitive verb

: to ride (a horse) at an ordinary pace

hack

6 of 7

verb (3)

hacked; hacking; hacks

transitive verb

: to rear (a young hawk) in a state of partial liberty especially prior to the acquisition of flight and hunting capabilities

hack

7 of 7

noun (3)

slang

: a guard especially at a prison

Phrases

hack it

1

: cope entry 1 sense 1a

I can't hack it any longer.

2

: to be successful

couldn't hack it in the world of professional sports

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• address
• contend (with)
• cope (with)
• field
• grapple (with)
• handle
• manage
• maneuver
• manipulate
• negotiate
• play
• swing
• take
• treat

Noun (1)

• chip
• indent
• indentation
• indenture
• kerf
• nick
• notch

Noun (2)

• cab
• taxi
• taxicab

Adjective

• banal
• cliché
• cliche
• clichéd
• cobwebby
• commonplace
• hackney
• hackneyed
• moth-eaten
• musty
• obligatory
• shopworn
• stale
• stereotyped
• threadbare
• timeworn
• tired
• trite
• well-worn

Examples of hack in a Sentence

Verb (1)

I doubt that she can hack a job with so many responsibilities

she's not sure she can hack that miserable job much longer

Noun (1)

smallish hacks made in the bark of the trees marked the trail through the forest

completely stunned by a vicious hack across the neck

Noun (2)

after a week of hailing hacks and inhabiting hotels, the sales rep was happy to be home

is he really any good at the piano or just a hack?

Adjective

the abrupt revelation of an enemy masquerading as a friend is such a hack plot twist

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

While Russia has targeted the Democratic campaign, Iran has gone after Republican Donald Trump with disinformation as well as hacking into the former president’s campaign. —David Klepper, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024

From hacker community neurodiversity to the rise of the hacker as influencer, many surprising aspects of the hacking life have emerged. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

Noun

With polls closing Tuesday evening, officials are warning that foreign adversaries will likely spread false stories about election hacks to undermine trust in the voting process. —Sam Sabin, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024

Now, a similar hack may have ensnarled a prominent American crypto firm led by a former billionaire, Barry Silbert. —Steven Ehrlich, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English hacken, hakken, going back to Old English *haccian (Class II weak verb, attested in the prefixed forms ahaccian "to hack out, peck out [eyes]," tohaccian "to hack to pieces"), going back to West Germanic *hakkō- (whence also Old Frisian tohakia "to hack to pieces," Middle Dutch hacken, haken "to cut with repeated blows," Middle High German hacken), of uncertain origin

Note: This West Germanic verb is conventionally connected to the etymon of hook entry 1, which is manifested in a variety of vowel grades, on the assumption that hacking or chopping might be done with a hook-shaped implement.

Noun (1)

Middle English hak, hacke, noun derivative of hacken "to hack entry 1"

Noun (2)

short for hackney entry 1

Adjective

from attributive use of hack entry 3

Verb (2)

verbal derivative of hack entry 3

Verb (3)

verbal derivative of hack, noun, "board on which a hawk's food is placed, state of partial liberty under which a hawk is kept before training," of uncertain origin

Note: The noun has been taken as a derivative of hack entry 1, on the assumption that "hacked," i.e. chopped, food was placed on such a board; this appears to gain credence from a passage in a fifteenth-century manual of falconry (British Library MS. Harley 2340): "se hym euer to hackynge … and till he flyethe fro tre to tre, he woll come to hackynge; then he woll not come, but thu moste hacke and leue his mete opon a borde in his neste" (see A.E.H. Swaen, "The booke of Hawkyng after prince Edwarde Kyng of Englande and its relation to the Book of St Albans," Studia Neophilogica, vol. 16 [1943], p. 26).

Noun (3)

perhaps sense development of hack entry 3

First Known Use

Verb (1)

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 2a(1)

Adjective

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1800, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Verb (3)

1873, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1931, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hack

• hack off
• life hack

Kids Definition

hack

1 of 5 verb

ˈhak 

1

: to cut or sever with repeated irregular or unskillful blows

2

: to cough in a short dry manner

3

a

: to write computer programs for enjoyment

b

: to gain access to a computer illegally

4

informal : to manage successfully

couldn't hack the job

hack

2 of 5 noun

1

: nick entry 1 sense 1, notch

2

: a short dry cough

3

a

: a creatively improvised solution to a computer problem

b

: an act of gaining or trying to gain illegal access to a computer or computer system

c

: a clever tip or technique for doing or improving something

hack

3 of 5 noun

1

a

: a horse that can be hired for use by the public

b

: a horse used in all kinds of work

c

: a worn-out horse

d

: a light saddle horse

2

a

: hackney entry 1 sense 2

b

: taxicab

c

: a driver of a taxicab

3

a

: a writer who works mainly for hire

b

: one who serves a cause merely for reward

political hacks

c

: hacker sense 2

hack

4 of 5 adjective

1

: working for hire especially with mediocre standards

a hack writer

2

: done by or characteristic of a hack

hack writing

hack

5 of 5 verb

1

: to ride or drive at an ordinary pace or over the roads rather than across country

2

: to operate a taxicab

Etymology

Verb

Old English -haccian "to cut with repeated blows"

Noun

a shortened form of hackney

Medical Definition

hack

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈhak 

: to cough in a short dry manner

hack

2 of 2 noun

: a short dry cough