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Synonyms

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

The French finance ministry announced on February 18 that a hacker had gained access to a national bank database and consulted information on 1.2 million accounts.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 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

It had three holes across the top, and I covered the third one to generate the 2600-hertz tone that had made this whistle famous in the annals of hacker history.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.