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.

---

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

---

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

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

Intelligence analysts scrutinise millions of data points -- from web addresses and malware variants to hacker code names -- that could provide leads in active investigations.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

A nefarious hacker could have easily installed a virus on to my machine without me having to do anything.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

I asked Violet, “Your father, he’s a college professor, but he was too busy to come see you after you like completely collapsed from a hacker attack? Too busy?”

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• operator
• technician