definitions

black hat

[ blak hat ]
/ ˈblæk ˈhæt /
Informal.

noun

a villain, as in a cowboy movie; bad guy.
Digital Technology. 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.

Nearby words

black gnat, black gold, black grouse, black guillemot, black hand, black hat, black haw, black hawk, black hawk war, black heat, black heroin

Idioms

    wear/put on a black hat, to behave villainously.
Compare white hat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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