hacker

American  

[hak-er] / ˈhæk ər /

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.

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hacker British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of hacker

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

“The more that data brokers are not allowed to traffic on our personal information, the less of it there will be, and the more diminished the targets will be for third-party hackers,” Davisson said.

From Los Angeles Times

It is hard to say when hackers decided that attacking tech providers that have lots of corporate customers was better bang for the buck than targeting individual companies.

From The Wall Street Journal

"If a hacker can gain access to your backends, even with a backup, your game or at least your marketplace could go offline for weeks."

From BBC

Unfortunately, hackers have exploited vulnerabilities in this flawed system.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet hackers linked to its biggest adversary, Iran, have managed to pull off a series of successful breaches by using known vulnerabilities to attack institutions that aren’t as well-defended as the country’s critical infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• operator
• technician