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black hat

[ blak-hat ]
/ ˈblæk ˈhæt /
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noun Informal.
a villain, as in a cowboy movie; bad guy.
Also called black hat hack·er .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

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

Origin of black hat

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use black hat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for black hat

black hat

noun
informal
  1. a computer hacker who carries out illegal malicious hacking work
  2. (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
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