phishing

noun

phish·​ing ˈfi-shiŋ 

: the practice of tricking Internet users (as through the use of deceptive email messages or websites) into revealing personal or confidential information which can then be used illicitly

Phishing uses deceptive emails to trick recipients into revealing personal information.

—William B. Howard Jr.

The most common form … is called phishing, a one-two punch using both email and Web browsing to trick people into typing confidential information into Web sites that look like the sites of real companies, especially financial institutions.

—Walter S. Mossberg

Social engineering tactics, such as phishing schemes, are often used by attackers to obtain valid credentials or other personal information.

—Jack Morse

see also spear phishing compare smishing

Did you know?

Phishing is one of the many new computer-related terms that have found their way into the general lexicon over the past decade or so. Its "ph" spelling is influenced by an earlier word for an illicit act: "phreaking." Phreaking involves fraudulently using an electronic device to avoid paying for telephone calls, and its name is suspected of being a shortening of "phone freak." A common phishing scam involves sending emails that appear to come from banks requesting recipients to verify their accounts by typing personal details, such as credit card information, into a website that has been disguised to look like the real thing. Such scams can be thought of as "fishing" for naive recipients.

Examples of phishing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In other, broader phishing attacks, the data can either be used immediately or packaged up with other passwords and sold on the dark web. —PC Magazine, 14 Nov. 2025

In recent years, the Lighthouse software has been updated multiple times, with new capabilities being added to it and frequent additions of new phishing templates, experts say. —Matt Burgess, Wired News, 12 Nov. 2025

So, there is no surprise that there is a steep rise in voice phishing, which is also known as vishing. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2025

Meanwhile, attackers are busy too, using AI to polish phishing lures, generate deepfakes and even script parts of data extortion campaigns. —Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

respelling of fishing, with ph- probably after phreaking

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing phishing

• SMS phishing
• spear phishing

Rhymes for phishing

• dishing
• fishing
• swishing
• wishing
• overfishing

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Kids Definition

phishing

noun

phish·​ing ˈfish-iŋ 

: a scam by which an Internet user is fooled into revealing personal information which can then be used illegally

phisher

-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

phishing

noun

phish·​ing ˈfi-shiŋ 

: a fraudulent operation by which an e-mail user is duped into revealing personal or confidential information which can be used for illicit purposes (as identity theft)

Etymology

alteration of fishing (probably influenced by phreaking illegal access to a phone system)