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

Many, if not most, companies use and rely on cloud services, vendors and other external partners to manage their data and operations leaving customers’ data vulnerable when their employees are manipulated through social engineering. —Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025

In the end, the most elegant lesson from Afghanistan is also the most self-evident: Violent social engineering is a dumb idea. —Dan Fisher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

Next, the victims were directed to contact Indian call centers, where alleged co-conspirators would use social engineering techniques to build trust. —Alex Riggins, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2025

So, social engineering is a favorite tactic. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 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