dox

Also doxx

[doks]

noun

Slang.

1. a person’s identifying information, as address, phone number, name, or alias, when maliciously posted online to target that person for pranks, fraud, or other harassment.

verb (used with or without object)

Slang.

doxed, doxing 

1. to publish the private personal information of (another person) or reveal the identity of (an online poster) without the consent of that individual.

   The professor was doxed by a bitter student who failed her class.

   Several players doxed the programmer because the final version of the game disappointed them.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dox¹

First recorded in 2000–05; alteration of docs, plural of doc (shortening of document ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

“The conduct of these defendants are deeply offensive to law enforcement officers and their families. If you threaten, dox, or harm in any manner one of our agents or employees, you will face prosecution and prison time.”

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But considering the Heritage Foundation’s recent threat to dox Wikipedia volunteers and the steady drumbeat of right-wing attacks on various nonprofit organizations, the House committee’s letter feels less like oversight and more like targeting.

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As Molly White put it, “I’ve spent the better part of two decades dealing with people trying to dox and harass the volunteers who make Wikipedia the incredible resource it is today. I liked it better when they weren’t in Congress.”

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“You cannot dox a conservative family and think it will be brushed off as ‘free speech,’” she wrote.

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“We will prosecute those who dox ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens,” the department said in a post on the social media site X. “Make no mistake, this type of rhetoric is contributing to the surge in assaults of ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE.”

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