black hat

[ blak-hat ]

nounInformal.
  1. a villain, as in a cowboy movie; bad guy.

  2. Also called black hat hacker .Computers. a hacker who violates the security of a system without the knowledge or consent of the owner or developer, as for personal profit or for the gratification of causing damage.

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Idioms about black hat

  1. wear / put on a black hat, Informal, to behave villainously.

Origin of black hat

1
First recorded in 1955–60 for def. 1, and in 1990–95 for def. 2; from the black hat worn by the villain in a cowboy movie

Other words from black hat

  • black-hat, black-hat·ted, adjective

Words Nearby black hat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use black hat in a sentence

  • The girl was dressed in a pearl grey and pink sports coat, with a large black hat, and carried a silver chain handbag.

    The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
  • What dress she wore was black, and on her golden head was an immense black hat covered with feathers.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • A black hat, wide of brim and carefully creased, replaced the nondescript felt affair which Bill usually wore.

    Mystery Ranch | Arthur Chapman
  • Jimmy sat bolt upright, his black hat pendant between his knees.

    Blazed Trail Stories | Stewart Edward White
  • They were driven by a tall man, with a long brown beard and a great black hat, which seemed to hide his face from us.

    Dracula | Bram Stoker

British Dictionary definitions for black hat

black hat

noun
  1. informal

    • a computer hacker who carries out illegal malicious hacking work

    • (as modifier): black-hat hackers Compare white hat

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012