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hack
1 of 7
verb (1)
hacked; hacking; hacks
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 strokeshacking out new election districts
c
: annoy, vex —often used with offHe gets really hacked off when people cheat.
2
: to clear or make by or as if by cutting away vegetationhacked his way through the brush
3
a
informal: to manage successfullyjust couldn’t hack the new job
b
informal: tolerateI 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
1
a
: to make chopping strokes or blowshacked 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 aroundI hacked around in those parts for a long time …—Bil Gilberthacking around at the corner drugstore—Ruth McKenney
4
a
: to write computer programs for enjoyment
b
: to gain access to a computer illegallytrying to hack into the network
see also:
hack2 of 7
noun (1)
1
: a tool for rough cutting or chopping : an implement for hacking
2
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… required a hack … because my computer was “too old” and just wasn’t updating.—Mattie Richardson Schmitz
b
: an act or instance of gaining or attempting to gain illegal access to a computer or computer systemMost security breaches are insider jobs, not hacks.—Samuel L. EarpThe 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 WilsonAlmost 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 somethingWe 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
hack3 of 7
noun (2)
1
a
b(1)
: taxicab
(2)
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
c
: a light easy saddle horse
d
: a ride on a horse
3
a
: a person who works solely for mercenary reasons : hirelingparty hacks
b
: a writer who works on order
also: a writer who aims solely for commercial success
c
: hacker sense 2a tennis hack
hack4 of 7
adjective
1
: working for hire especially with mediocre professional standardsa 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 : mediocrehack writing
3
: hackneyed entry 1, tritehack dramatic scenes
hack5 of 7
verb (2)
hacked; hacking; hacks
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
: to ride (a horse) at an ordinary pace
hack6 of 7
verb (3)
hacked; hacking; hacks
: to rear (a young hawk) in a state of partial liberty especially prior to the acquisition of flight and hunting capabilities
hack7 of 7
noun (3)
slang
: a guard especially at a prison
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Synonyms of hack
Relevance
Verb (1)
Noun (1)
Noun (2)
Adjective
Examples of hack in a Sentence
Verb (1)I doubt that she can hack a job with so many responsibilitiesshe’s not sure she can hack that miserable job much longerNoun (1)
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More
Verb
On Wednesday Australia’s prime minister revealed that one of OpenAI’s artificial intelligence agents hacked into a health care platform maintained by the nation’s government—and that OpenAI took months to inform the latter about the breach.— Peter Hall, Scientific American, 24 Sep. 2026 Since then, Anthropic said its AI models hacked into three other organizations during testing, triggering a company review into whether the models were able to access the internet from within testing environments that should have been sealed off.— ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
The Hugging Face hack may have prompted an internal review, during which OpenAI also discovered the Australian website breach, although the company did not explicitly link the two events in its statement.— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026 What started as a protein hack for fitness influencers is turning into a durable pantry shift, and the ingredient’s next act will look very different from its last.— Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2026
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of hack was in the 12th century
See more words from the same century
Phrases Containing hack
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Rhymes for hack
Browse Nearby Words
hack
Articles Related to hack
8 More Words for Inept PeopleWe don’t doubt they’re trying their very best.‘Derby’, ‘Hack’, ‘Bidet’, and 8 More…No horseplay. These are serious word histories.
Cite this Entry
Style MLA Chicago APA Merriam-Webster
“Hack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hack. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.
Kids Definition
hack1 of 5verb
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 successfullycouldn’t hack the job
hack2 of 5noun
1
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
hack3 of 5noun
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
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 rewardpolitical hacks
c
hack4 of 5adjective
1
: working for hire especially with mediocre standardsa hack writer
2
: done by or characteristic of a hackhack writing
hack5 of 5verb
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
hack1 of 2intransitive verb
: to cough in a short dry manner
hack2 of 2noun
: a short dry cough
Last Updated:25 Sep 2026- Updated example sentences
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