Hacker Meaning

/hækə/
B2

Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Listen pronunciation

nounSomeone who hacks.

nounSomeone who hacks., One who cuts with heavy or rough blows.

The hacker gained access to sensitive files in the company's database.
It's unlikely that a hacker could get into our website.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After breaking through the firewall, the ____ stole sensitive customer data.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The security team discovered that a sophisticated ____ had managed to gain unauthorized access to their database.

From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix forming agent nouns). Hakken is derived from Old English *haccian (“to hack”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakkōn (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Germanic *hakkōną (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Indo-European *keg-, *keng- (“to be sharp; a handle; a hook; a peg”). The English word may be analysed as hack (“to chop or cut down in a rough manner”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).

"I'm a computer crook, the Willie Sutton of hackers. I break into computer systems for fun—and profit. To me, the Apple is the forbidden fruit." — 1986 April, Curtis Slepian, “The April Papers”, in R. Wayne Schmittberger, editor, Games, volume 10, number 4 (number 74 overall), New York, N.Y.: Playboy Enterprises, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 15:
"Typically, one hacker will annoy another; the offended party replies by launching a denial-of-service attack against the offender." — 2007, “Category 5—Illustrative Crosscutting Problem-focused Research Areas”, in Seymour E. Goodman, Herbert S. Lin, editors, Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace, Washington, D.C.: Committee on Improving Cybersecurity Research in the United States, National Research Council, →ISBN, part II (An Illustrative Research Agenda), page 205:
"Cris “Space Rogue” Thomas, another ex-L0pht member who testified alongside Zatko that day, said that L0pht would do everything it could to get companies to collaboratively fix software issues the hacker group found." — 2022 October 17, Sean Lyngaas and Clare Duffy, “How a 51-year-old celebrity hacker upended one of the world’s most influential social networks”, in CNN Business:
"In 2022, hackers leaked unreleased footage from its next iteration of GTA." — 2023 December 4, Ramishah Maruf, “GTA 6 leak: ‘Grand Theft Auto’ trailer reveals game’s release date”, in CNN:
"[O]ne good hacker, being a luſty labourer, vvill at good eaſe hacke or cut more then halfe an Acre of ground in a day; […]" — 1625, Gervase Markham, “Of the Ordering, Tilling, and Dressing of All Sorts of Plaine Barren Clayes, whether They be Simple or Compounded”, in Markhams Farwell to Husbandry or, The Inriching of All Sorts of Barren and Sterile Grounds in Our Kingdome, […], revised edition, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for Roger Iackson, […], →OCLC, page 5:

Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words

CEFR Practice Quiz
After breaking through the firewall, the ____ stole sensitive customer data.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The security team discovered that a sophisticated ____ had managed to gain unauthorized access to their database.

Expand Your Vocabulary with LexUp

Master English words using smart flashcards, play exciting word rounds, and compete with other learners worldwide.

Browse CEFR Words Alphabetically