hacker
gb/hˈækɚ/ us/hˈækɚ/
B2
Inglés
~ 6200
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
B2
entity
1
person who breaks into computers
A person who gets into computers or networks without permission, usually to steal or damage information.
Patrón de uso:
a hacker breaks into [a computer system]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes think that all hackers are the same. In everyday news, "hacker" usually means someone doing illegal things with computers, but in technical communities it can also mean a skilled, curious programmer who is not a criminal. Pay attention to context.
Sinónimos
cybercriminal (Broader term for anyone committing crimes using computers; not all cybercriminals break into systems, but many hackers are cybercriminals.)
|
intruder (General word for someone who enters a place without permission; less specifically about computers.)
Antónimos
IT security professional (Works to protect systems from hackers and other cyber threats, rather than breaking into them.)
Colocaciones
computer hacker
|Russian hackers
|hire a hacker
|hacker attack
|hacker group
|hacker stole data
Temas
technology
|internet
|crime
|law
Ejemplos
- The company hired experts after a hacker stole thousands of customer passwords.
- Police arrested a hacker who had been selling credit card details on the dark web.
- A hacker gained access to the hospital’s network and encrypted all their files.
- Authorities believe the attack was carried out by a state-sponsored hacker.
- The database leak was traced back to a lone hacker operating from his apartment.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The news said a hacker took money from many bank accounts.
- A hacker broke into the school computer system.
- They are afraid a hacker will steal their personal data.
- The police are trying to find the hacker.
- A hacker sent fake emails to many people.
Sustantivo
technical
C1
entity
2
highly skilled, curious programmer
A very skilled computer programmer who likes to explore how computer systems work, usually for learning or fun, not for crime.
Patrón de uso:
a hacker builds [a tool/system]
Error frecuente:
Learners often think this meaning is always negative. In technical communities, "hacker" can be a positive word for a creative and highly skilled programmer. Outside these communities, people may misunderstand it as a criminal, so learners should be careful with audience and context.
Sinónimos
programmer (Neutral word for someone who writes computer code; does not include the idea of playful or deep system exploration.)
|
coder (Informal word for someone who writes code; close in meaning but may not suggest the same creativity or depth as "hacker" in this culture.)
Antónimos
non-technical user (Someone who uses computers but does not have deep technical knowledge or programming skills.)
Colocaciones
hacker culture
|open-source hackers
|Linux hacker
|hardware hacker
|hacker space
|hacker community
Temas
technology
|internet
|work
|education
Ejemplos
- Many hackers contribute their free time to open-source projects.
- The conference attracts some of the best hardware hackers in the world.
- She’s a respected hacker in the cybersecurity community, known for finding subtle bugs.
- The book traces the history of hacker culture from the 1960s to today.
- They run a local hacker space where people can learn electronics and coding.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Many hackers write free software for other people.
- She is a good hacker and can fix difficult problems on computers.
- The hackers at the event shared ideas and tools.
- He became a hacker after years of learning to code.
- The club is for young hackers who like to build robots.
Sustantivo
C1
entity
3
person who chops roughly at things
A person who hits or cuts something many times in a rough way with a sharp tool, like an axe or machete.
Patrón de uso:
a hacker hits [something] with [a tool]
Error frecuente:
Learners may confuse this meaning with the computer-related meanings. In this sense, a "hacker" is simply a person who cuts or hits things roughly with a sharp tool, with no connection to computers.
Sinónimos
chopper (Informal word for someone or something that chops; focuses more on the action of cutting, without the idea of roughness or clumsiness as strongly.)
Antónimos
precision cutter (Someone who cuts very carefully and exactly, which is opposite to the rough, repeated cutting done by a hacker in this sense.)
Colocaciones
a hacker with an axe
|a wild-eyed hacker
|a hacker at the tree
|hacker with a machete
Temas
physical_actions
|work
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- The witnesses saw a wild-eyed hacker swinging an axe at the wooden door.
- A lone hacker with a machete cleared a path through the thick jungle plants.
- The police arrested the hacker who had been attacking parked cars with a hammer.
- In the film, a masked hacker smashes the fence posts one by one.
- The old story tells of a nighttime hacker who chopped down trees for revenge.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- They saw a hacker cut the door with an axe.
- A hacker with a big knife opened a way through the plants.
- The hacker hit the fence again and again.
- Police stopped the hacker who was breaking cars with a tool.
- The hacker used his axe to cut the tree.
Sustantivo
informal
B2
entity
4
clumsy, unskilled sports player
A person who likes a sport but is not very good at it and often hits the ball in a rough or wild way, especially in golf or tennis.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] is a weekend hacker at [a sport]
Error frecuente:
Learners may think "hacker" always means a computer criminal. In sports, especially golf and tennis, a "hacker" is simply a weak, rough player, usually playing for fun, and has nothing to do with computers.
Sinónimos
amateur (General word for someone who is not a professional; does not always mean the person is unskilled or rough.)
|
duffer (Informal term, especially in golf, for a very poor player; stronger sense of incompetence than "hacker" in some contexts.)
Antónimos
professional (A trained and skilled person who plays the sport for money, opposite of an unskilled, casual hacker.)
Colocaciones
golf hacker
|tennis hacker
|weekend hacker
|a hacker on the course
|just a hacker
Temas
sports
|hobbies
|daily_life
Ejemplos
- I’m just a weekend hacker on the golf course, but I still enjoy it.
- Compared to the club champions, most of us are hackers who play for fun.
- He may look like a hacker now, but with lessons he could really improve his tennis.
- The tournament isn’t for serious players; it’s mostly local hackers and beginners.
- Even the hackers at our club respect the course rules and etiquette.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I am a hacker at golf, but I like it.
- Most of the players here are hackers, not professionals.
- She calls herself a tennis hacker because she misses many balls.
- The game is for hackers and new players, not for strong players.
- He is a hacker at this sport, but he has fun.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
hacker
AFI
GB/hˈækɚ/
US/hˈækɚ/
Sílabas y acento
hack - er (2 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (hack)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: hacker
- Plural: hackers
Familia de palabras
Forms
hackers
noun
Core family
hack
verb B2
hacking
noun
Related words
hackable
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
unhackable
adjective
Expresiones
black-hat hacker
1/blˈæk hˈæt hˈækɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
malicious criminal computer hacker
A hacker who breaks into computer systems illegally to steal, damage, or cause problems, usually for money or power.
Ejemplos
- Black-hat hackers targeted the company’s payment system and stole thousands of credit card numbers.
- The course explains how black-hat hackers think so that defenders can stop them.
- Police arrested several black-hat hackers involved in the ransomware attack.
computer hacker
1/kəmpjˈutɚ hˈækɚ/
fixed phrase
person who hacks computers
Someone who uses computer skills to get into computers or networks in a way that most people cannot, often without permission.
Ejemplos
- The police warned that computer hackers were targeting small online shops.
- A skilled computer hacker can sometimes guess passwords in minutes.
- The film tells the story of a young computer hacker who becomes a whistleblower.
ethical hacker
1/ˈɛθɪkəl hˈækɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
authorized security-focused hacker
A computer expert who is allowed by a company to try to break into its systems, to find and fix security problems before criminals do.
Ejemplos
- The bank hired an ethical hacker to test its online banking system for weak points.
- Many ethical hackers report the bugs they find so companies can improve security.
- He works as an ethical hacker, helping organizations protect their data.
grey-hat hacker
1/ɡɹˈeɪ hˈæt hˈækɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
hacker with mixed or unclear ethics
A hacker who may break into systems without permission but usually does not clearly try to steal money or cause big harm; their actions are still not legal.
Ejemplos
- Grey-hat hackers sometimes reveal security holes publicly instead of telling the company first.
- The report describes how grey-hat hackers can create legal and ethical problems for organizations.
- Some grey-hat hackers see themselves as helping the public, even if the law disagrees.
hacker attack
1/hˈækɚ ətˈæk/
fixed phrase
cyberattack carried out by hackers
An attack on a computer system or network done by hackers, often to steal data or stop services.
Ejemplos
- The company’s website went offline after a major hacker attack.
- Government agencies are preparing for possible hacker attacks on key infrastructure.
- The bank apologized to customers affected by the recent hacker attack.
hacker collective
1/hˈækɚ kəlˈɛktɪv/
fixed phrase
loosely organized hacker community
A loose group of hackers who work together or share ideas, often without a formal structure or leader.
Ejemplos
- The hacker collective focuses on exposing corruption through data leaks.
- Members of the hacker collective communicate mainly through encrypted chat rooms.
- The film follows a global hacker collective as it plans online protests.
hacker community
1/hˈækɚ kəmjˈunɪti/
fixed phrase
technical
worldwide network of hackers
All the people around the world who see themselves as hackers and talk, meet, or work together, especially online.
Ejemplos
- The hacker community quickly shared information about the new security bug.
- Women are still underrepresented in the hacker community.
- The conference is an important meeting point for the international hacker community.
hacker conference
1/hˈækɚ kˈɑnfɚəns/
fixed phrase
technical
event where hackers gather
A meeting or event where hackers come together to give talks, learn, and show new tools or attacks.
Ejemplos
- She presented her research on car security at a major hacker conference.
- Many famous tools were first shown at small underground hacker conferences.
- The annual hacker conference attracts thousands of security professionals and enthusiasts.
hacker culture
1/hˈækɚ kˈʌlt͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
shared values of hacking community
The ideas, rules, and ways of thinking common among hackers, especially creative programmers and security experts.
Ejemplos
- Hacker culture often values openness, curiosity, and free sharing of information.
- The book explores how hacker culture shaped the early internet.
- Many start-ups were influenced by hacker culture and open-source software.
hacker group
1/hˈækɚ ɡɹˈup/
fixed phrase
organized team of hackers
A team or organization of hackers who work together, sometimes for crime, politics, or activism.
Ejemplos
- An international hacker group claimed responsibility for the data breach.
- Security experts suspect that a state-linked hacker group was behind the attack.
- The hacker group is known for leaking secret government documents.
hacker mindset
1/hˈækɚ mˈaɪndsˌɛt/
fixed phrase
technical
curious, playful way of thinking
A way of thinking like a hacker: being very curious, looking for weak points, and using systems in new and unexpected ways.
Ejemplos
- The course encourages students to develop a hacker mindset so they can find security flaws.
- A hacker mindset can also help in non-technical fields by inspiring creative solutions.
- Companies sometimes hire people with a hacker mindset to test their products.
hacker space
1/hˈækɚ spˈeɪs/
fixed phrase
technical
community workshop for hackers
A place where people interested in computers, electronics, or making things can meet, share tools, and work on projects together.
Ejemplos
- The city’s new hacker space offers 3D printers, soldering tools, and coding workshops.
- She volunteers at a local hacker space that teaches kids basic electronics.
- Joining a hacker space is a good way to meet other makers and programmers.
phone hacker
1/fˈoʊn hˈækɚ/
fixed phrase
person who hacks phones
A person who gets into other people’s phone or voicemail systems without permission, often to listen to messages or get private information.
Ejemplos
- Several journalists were accused of hiring phone hackers to access celebrity voicemails.
- The company strengthened its systems after a phone hacker accessed customer accounts.
- Police are investigating a phone hacker who targeted politicians.
white-hat hacker
1/wˈaɪt hˈæt hˈækɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
defensive, lawful hacker
A hacker who uses their skills to help protect computer systems, usually working with permission from companies or governments.
Ejemplos
- White-hat hackers often work for security companies or large tech firms.
- The event brings together white-hat hackers to compete in solving security challenges.
- As a white-hat hacker, she reports every security hole she finds to the software makers.