hacker

noun

hack·​er ˈha-kər 

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

Synonyms of hacker

• cracker
• cyberpunk
• geek

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

Still, autofill exploits by hackers have been known to happen. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025

Malek starred in the USA Network series as troubled computer hacker Elliot Alderson for four seasons, from 2015 to 2019. —Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025

At the time, the FBI said the hackers responsible belonged to criminal group Darkside, believed to be based in Russia. —Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025

Google's latest report for executives notes that despite significant defensive cloud security advancements, most hackers still gain access to businesses using the front door, as in insecure passwords. —PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hacker

• acker
• backer
• blacker
• cracker
• lacquer
• packer
• slacker
• stacker
• thacker
• tracker
• attacker
• backpacker

Kids 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