social engineering

noun

1

: management of human beings in accordance with their place and function in society : applied social science

2

: social methods (such as phishing) that are used to obtain personal or confidential information which can then be used illicitly

The previously noted trend of switching from social engineering to hacking methods in attacks on organizations strengthened …

—San Fernando Valley (California) Business Journal

social engineer noun

plural social engineers

Examples of social engineering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As organizations process increasingly higher volumes of transactions across multiple channels, the complexity and frequency of fraudulent schemes such as social engineering, spoofing, business email compromise, payment diversion, and cyberattacks have grown substantially. —Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2025

Kurt's key takeaway Cybercriminals are now combining social engineering with the secure hardware features inside modern payment systems. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025

Engineering students can participate in STEM outreach programs for schoolchildren or volunteer projects in social engineering. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Nov. 2025

Improved social engineering techniques, more convincing pages, and increasingly sophisticated lures are making these campaigns harder for our users to detect. —PC Magazine, 12 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for social engineering

• bioengineering
• adhering
• appearing
• careering
• cohering
• endearing
• inhering
• prehearing
• rehearing
• veneering
• cheering
• clearing

Kids Definition

social engineering

noun

1

: management of human beings in accordance with their place and function in society : applied social science

2

: social methods (such as phishing) that are used to obtain personal or confidential information which can then be used illicitly