1
: one that hacks
2
: a person who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity
a tennis hacker
3
: an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer
4
: a person who illegally gains access to and sometimes tampers with information in a computer system
Examples of hacker in a Sentence
My friends and I have been playing golf for years, but we're still just a bunch of hackers.
the company's security experts spent days trying to figure out how a hacker could have gotten past the firewall
Recent Examples on the Web
It is believed that Radiant did not profit from the heist, as Kido International did not agree to the hackers' demands.
—
Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
In August, TransUnion announced that hackers had gained access to the names, birthdates and Social Security numbers of more than 4 million people.
—David McMillin, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
In late August, hackers hit luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover’s operations, forcing its factories in the United Kingdom to shut down for weeks.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
In one common attack, known as GPS spoofing, hackers transmit false location data that tricks a drone into flying off course.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hacker
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Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
In August, TransUnion announced that hackers had gained access to the names, birthdates and Social Security numbers of more than 4 million people.
—David McMillin, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
In late August, hackers hit luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover’s operations, forcing its factories in the United Kingdom to shut down for weeks.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
In one common attack, known as GPS spoofing, hackers transmit false location data that tricks a drone into flying off course.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hacker
Cite this Entry
“Hacker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hacker. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hacker
noun
hack·er
ˈhak-ər 
1
: one that hacks
2
: a person who is unskilled at a particular activity
3
: an expert at programming and solving problems with a computer
4
: a person who illegally gains access to a computer system
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