phone hacking

American  

noun

1. an act or instance of gaining access to a phone's voicemail, email, text messages, etc., without authorization from the phone's owner.

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Other Word Forms

• phone hacker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of phone hacking

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Last year, on the eve of another scheduled trial, Rupert Murdoch's UK tabloid publisher NGN agreed to pay him "substantial damages" for privacy breaches, including phone hacking.

From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026

Two UK tabloids accused of phone hacking and other "unlawful information gathering" against Prince Harry and six high-profile figures insisted Tuesday they had relied on "legitimate" sources for their stories.

From Barron's • Jan. 20, 2026

Several years later, investigative reporter Nick Davies published an article on phone hacking, which is the illegal accessing of voicemails.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025

David Tennant plays Guardian journalist Nick Davies who uncovered evidence of phone hacking at the tabloid.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 2025

Drawing inspiration from the more traditional pursuit of tunnel hacking, students quickly dubbed this new activity "phone hacking."

From Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Williams, Sam