hacker

[hak-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that hacks.

2. Slang.,  a person who engages in an activity without talent or skill.

   weekend hackers on the golf course.

3. Computers.

   1. a person who has a high level of skill in computer technology or programming; a computer expert or enthusiast.

      My brother is a real hacker—he fixed my laptop in no time.

   2. a person who circumvents security and breaks into a network, computer, file, etc., often, but not always, with malicious intent.

      A hacker got into my computer remotely and wiped my hard drive!

      The company has hired hackers to test system security.

hacker

/ ˈhækə /

noun

1. a person that hacks

2. slang,  a computer fanatic, esp one who through a personal computer breaks into the computer system of a company, government, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of hacker¹

First recorded in 1200–50 hacker for def. 1; Middle English (as surname); hack ¹, -er ¹; 1965–70 hacker for def. 2

Example Sentences

Chinese hackers have targeted Guam’s infrastructure, U.S. officials said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The UK government implored businesses Tuesday to prioritise cyber security, as major incidents targeting them hit record levels over the last year and officials warned of the threat from Chinese and Russian hackers.

Read more on Barron's

A recent spate of hacks has highlighted the chaos that can ensue when hackers take computer systems down.

Read more on BBC

Qantas said in July that hackers had targeted one of its customer contact centres, breaching a computer system used by a third party.

Read more on Barron's

Many organisations in the country are not prepared for attacks and are willing to pay ransoms, which makes them attractive to hackers, he added.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• operator 
• technician