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

This app was carefully designed to exploit both technical vulnerabilities and human behavior, combining social engineering tactics with malicious code to steal sensitive financial data. —Yaamini Barathi Mohan, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Coinbase’s hackers deployed what’s called a social engineering attack — where criminals use people to gain unauthorized access to data, rather than exploiting flaws in computer code. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 May 2025

These services automatically remove your data from broker databases, reducing the risk of social engineering attempts that could compromise your bank account. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 May 2025

What’s more, those accounts can also be used to leverage social engineering attacks. —Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 4 May 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