hacker

noun

ˈha-kər How to pronounce hacker (audio)
Definition of hackernext
1
as in cracker
a person who illegally gains access to a computer system and sometimes tampers with its information the company's security experts spent days trying to figure out how a hacker could have gotten past the firewall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in amateur
a person who lacks experience and competence in an art or science weekend golf hackers who are there mainly for the social networking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hacker Just this week, additional footage has been leaked, Rockstar Games fired off subpoenas and legal threats to try to find the hacker, and the hacking group itself even started asking for money just to talk about it. — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 28 Aug. 2026 The hackers recruited the agent for hundreds of attacks by telling it the exercises were part of a simulation, Reuters reported, making their work up to 50% faster. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026 During that incident, hackers gained access to a digital system which remotely controls one of the dam’s valves and opened it to increase the water flow. — ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026 Yet, security researchers say the methods hackers use to breach PLCs are not sophisticated. — Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hacker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hacker
  1. cyberpunk
  2. amateur
  3. geek
  4. kid
  5. beginner
  6. hack
  7. novice
Noun
  • Cyberpunk is the best known of all, assuming itself as an antithesis of utopian visions of science fiction worlds and simultaneously as a space of dystopias in which the cyberpunk fights against artificial intelligence that controls the world.
    — Paulo Nuno VicenteAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
  • Many are financed through crowdfunding, with subscribers garnering exclusive perks, and embrace subtitles and alternate audio (a series like the Japanese cyberpunk Milky Subway is dubbed in 10 different languages).
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026
Definition of cyberpunk
Noun
  • As an amateur, Ashe is ineligible to receive the $14,000 winner’s prize, but collects $280 in expenses for the two-week tournament.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Alongside making bespoke shoes for private clients, the pair also run workshops and courses for amateurs and wannabe shoe-makers in their studio in the Oxo Tower on the Thames.
    — Clare Coulson, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of amateur
Noun
  • By default, these devices mark the wearer not only as a geek, but as a try-hard and an egoist.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a whole world of lagers out there that would make even the snobbiest beer geek do a double take—beers that have nothing in common with the watery brews that once defined the style for so many Americans.
    — Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of geek
Noun
  • And suppose, additionally, that Haidt is also right, and that—for many kids—smartphones are deepening these problems and adding new ones.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Bakewell’s donations weren’t the only ones to pose issues for Brotherhood Crusade, which provides an array of services aimed at keeping kids from joining gangs.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of kid
Noun
  • And now, a beginner electronics kit has become one small part of a much larger local automation system.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Sep. 2026
  • On sale for less than $100 right now, this Abu Garcia combo combines lightweight graphite with an intense grip to offer a rod and reel that works well for beginners and advanced casters alike.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of beginner
Noun
  • Following the hack, the company brought in two researchers from the nonprofit METR and one from Redwood Research to examine the incident, but set the terms of the review itself.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Copper peptides have become the darling of social media skin care hacks.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of hack
Noun
  • Nun-novice and anti-gun violence activist Nanette, 35, has been carrying her mother’s secret for five years, not knowing whether one or both of her sisters had been entrusted with it too.
    — Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Since achieving widespread fame in 2013, Rettig has overseen gatherings that have introduced thousands of novices to toad smoking.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of novice

Browse Nearby Words

hacked (off)
hacker
hackers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hacker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hacker. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on hacker

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hacker

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of loath

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All