social engineering

American  

[soh-shuhl en-juh-neer-ing] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˌɛn dʒəˈnɪər ɪŋ /

noun

1. Political Science. the manipulation of social beliefs and behaviors by public or private entities through legislation, policy, and investment.

2. a technique that uses psychological manipulation, fraud, or dishonesty to force people to disclose private personal or corporate information, or to take a particular action.

   Hackers are using social engineering to perpetrate phishing scams.

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social engineering British  

noun

1. the manipulation of the social position and function of individuals in order to manage change in a society

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Other Word Forms

• social engineer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of social engineering

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Social engineering is a type of fraud scheme used to trick victims into providing scammers with passwords, PINs and other personal information.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

Social engineering: Scammers employ psychological manipulation to exploit human trust.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2024

Social engineering is becoming an increasingly common tactic for hackers.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2022

Social engineering attacks already rely on remote communication—naturally, it is much harder to assume the guise of a trusted friend or colleague in person.

From Slate • Jul. 21, 2020

Social engineering means smooth-talking someone in a position of power into doing something for you.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette