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

But not everyone celebrated the hacker’s work. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026

Actor Dane DeHaan, who stars as an expert hacker in the film, said the story explores how powerful digital tools can affect the world. —Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026

Some employees also reported seeing the hacker group's logo appear on company login pages during the disruption. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Mar. 2026

In the same vein, hackers have been targeting high-profile accounts on Signal and WhatsApp with similar phishing campaigns. —Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 13 Mar. 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