black hat

American  

[blak hat] / ˈblæk ˈhæt /

noun

Informal.

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.

---

idioms

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

black hat British  

noun

1. informal

   1. a computer hacker who carries out illegal malicious hacking work

   2. ( as modifier ) Compare white hat

      black-hat hackers

---

Other Word Forms

• black-hat
  adjective
• black-hatted
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of black hat

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

Compare meaning

How does black-hat compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• white hat vs. black hat

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

black hat

After Ahmed disarmed Akram, footage showed a man in a white shirt and a black hat running at the gunman and throwing an object at him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

What did you bring to the scene where Glinda humiliates Elphaba, giving her that “hideodeous” black hat that she wears to the ball?

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2024

He no longer wears a black hat, either.

From Seattle Times ● May 21, 2024

Ella Henderson stood out from the crowd in a huge, black hat - she's nominated for React, along with Switch Disco.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024

They held his jaw in place with a handkerchief and placed his black hat on his head, because he had repeatedly declared that he wanted to take it off when he said hello to God.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende