social engineering

American  

[soh-shuhl en-juh-neer-ing] / ˈsoʊ ʃəl ˌɛn dʒəˈnɪər ɪŋ /

noun

1. Political Science. the manipulation of social beliefs and behaviors by public or private entities through legislation, policy, and investment.

2. a technique that uses psychological manipulation, fraud, or dishonesty to force people to disclose private personal or corporate information, or to take a particular action.

   Hackers are using social engineering to perpetrate phishing scams.

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social engineering British  

noun

1. the manipulation of the social position and function of individuals in order to manage change in a society

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Other Word Forms

• social engineer
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of social engineering

First recorded in 1895–1900

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

social engineering

In a post on X, external, Binance said hackers targeted its engineers using social engineering techniques.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Persistent high-volume social engineering is also cheaper and more precise than robocall scams of yore.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

Scammers have become increasingly adept at duping customers into sending payments through elaborate social engineering schemes, including by developing romantic connections to their victims.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

These can include phishing or social engineering - gaining access by sending fake emails to employees who click a nefarious link which gives hackers access to a company's systems.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

Certainly no one would say that such a situation bears witness to wise social engineering in an economically organized society resting on credit.

From An Introduction to the Philosophy of Law by Roscoe Pound

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