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

The device’s management options include hacker prevention, password protection and a VPN pass-through for discreet browsing. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026

When hackers reveal his identity and expose it to the public, he is ridiculed, mocked, and threatened. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026

Belot said that Kasatkin was accused of having acted as a negotiator for a team of hackers. —Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026

While buying a house during the pandemic, the pair was scammed into sending a down payment to a hacker. —William Earl, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026

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