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

• 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

Utilizing robust passwords and altering them periodically can further complicate the endeavors of hackers. —Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025

In season 1, Elliot is recruited by a mysterious anarchist who calls himself Mr. Robot, who leads a team of hacker activists known as fsociety. —Lauren Huff, EW.com, 4 July 2025

Back home, she got mixed up with a nefarious group of hackers led by Anthony Ramos’ character The Hood. —Ronda Racha Penrice, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2025

The hackers did not describe the content of the emails. —Raphael Satter, USA Today, 2 July 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