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

But so far in the war, that has been the only visible commercial attack claimed by an Iranian hacker group.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

Earlier this year, Amazon discovered that a low-skilled hacker used commercially available AI to breach 600 firewalls.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

And on Wednesday, cybersecurity firm Gambit Security revealed that roughly 150 gigabytes of data were stolen from 10 Mexican government bodies and a single financial institution by a hacker using Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

He was the host of Hack Me if You Can, a three-part podcast profile of the Russian hacker Dmitry Smilyanets, produced by the Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

The third, and most crucial, was to conceal any hint that she was a hacker too.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Related Words

• operator
• technician