hack
gb/hˈæk/ us/hˈæk/
B1
Engleză
~ 8500
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Verb
B2
action
1
Illegally enter a computer or account
To get into a computer, network, or online account without permission.
Tipar de utilizare:
to hack into [a system/account]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use "hack" to mean simply "do computer programming" in general. In everyday English, "hack" usually implies breaking into a system without permission. Use verbs like "program" or "code" when you mean normal, legal software work.
Sinonime
break into (More general; can be physical or digital, not only computers.)
|
breach (More formal and technical; often used for security and data systems.)
Antonime
secure (Means to protect a system so that people cannot hack it.)
|
protect (General opposite idea of stopping unauthorized access.)
Colocații
hack into a computer
|hack into an account
|hack a database
|hack a server
|hack a phone
Teme
technology
|internet
|crime
|law
Exemple
- Hackers managed to hack into the company’s payment system and steal customer data.
- Someone hacked into her email and sent messages pretending to be her.
- The government is investigating who hacked into the election database last year.
- Criminals tried to hack into the bank’s network but were stopped by new security software.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Someone hacked into my Facebook account.
- The police caught a man who hacked into the school computers.
- They are afraid that hackers will hack into the hospital system.
- You should use strong passwords so people cannot hack into your accounts.
Substantiv
informal
B2
entity
2
Simple clever trick or shortcut
A small idea or trick that helps you do something more easily or quickly.
Tipar de utilizare:
a hack for [doing something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes think "hack" must be about computers. In modern informal English, "hack" is very common for everyday tips, especially in phrases like "life hack" or "productivity hack."
Sinonime
shortcut (Focuses more on saving time or steps; not always clever or creative.)
|
trick (Very general; can sound less positive or less practical than "hack".)
|
tip (More neutral and traditional; lacks the modern, trendy feel of "hack".)
Antonime
complication (Something that makes a task harder instead of easier.)
|
inefficiency (A way of doing something that wastes time or effort instead of saving it.)
Colocații
a useful hack
|a quick hack
|a life hack
|productivity hacks
|a travel hack
Teme
daily life
|self-improvement
|technology
|daily_life
|work
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- She shared a great hack for folding fitted sheets in under a minute.
- Freezing leftover wine in ice cube trays is a smart cooking hack.
- Do you know any hacks for getting kids out of the house on time?
- The article lists ten simple money-saving hacks for students.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- This is a good hack for cleaning your kitchen fast.
- He showed me a phone hack that saves battery.
- I learned a new study hack from a video.
- Do you have any hacks for sleeping better?
Substantiv
B2
event
3
Unauthorized access incident (data breach)
An event when someone breaks into a computer system or online service without permission.
Tipar de utilizare:
a hack on [a system/company]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may confuse this noun sense with the person who does the hacking (a "hacker"). In most modern English, the person is called a "hacker," and the event or incident is called a "hack" or a "breach."
Sinonime
breach (More formal and common in news; often used for data or security breaches.)
|
cyberattack (Broader; includes many types of online attacks, not only unauthorized access.)
Antonime
protection (Refers to security that stops hacks from happening.)
|
secure system (A system that has not been hacked and is well protected.)
Colocații
a major hack
|a security hack
|fall victim to a hack
|protect against hacks
|in the wake of the hack
Teme
technology
|internet
|crime
|law
Exemple
- The company is offering free credit monitoring after a massive hack exposed customer information.
- The hack was traced back to a group operating overseas.
- Following the hack, the website stayed offline for several days.
- Lawmakers demanded answers about how the government email hack was allowed to happen.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The bank lost data in a big hack.
- After the hack, many users changed their passwords.
- The police are still looking for the person behind the hack.
- New software was installed to stop another hack.
Verb
B1
action
4
Cut or hit roughly with a tool
To cut something again and again in a strong, rough way, usually with a big tool.
Tipar de utilizare:
to hack at [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes use "hack" instead of more neutral verbs like "cut" in everyday situations. Use "hack" when the cutting is strong, rough, or repeated, not when it is neat or careful.
Sinonime
chop (Similar, but can sound more controlled; "hack" suggests rougher or less careful action.)
|
slash (Emphasizes fast, forceful cutting, often with something sharp and long like a knife or sword.)
Antonime
slice (Suggests smooth, neat cutting, the opposite of the rough idea in "hack.")
|
trim (Means to cut carefully and neatly, not roughly.)
Colocații
hack at the bushes
|hack through the jungle
|hack off a branch
|hack the meat
|hack away at the wood
Teme
nature
|tools
|daily life
|daily_life
|work
Exemple
- He hacked at the thick branches until a path opened through the undergrowth.
- The butcher hacked the carcass into large pieces.
- They spent the afternoon hacking away at the frozen ground with shovels.
- She hacked the old tree stump out of the soil with an axe.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He hacked at the tree with an axe.
- The cook hacked the chicken into big pieces.
- We hacked a path through the tall plants.
- They hacked away at the ice on the steps.
Substantiv
informal
C1
entity
5
Low‑quality or unoriginal professional
A person, often a writer or worker in politics, who does boring, low-quality work mostly for money.
Tipar de utilizare:
a [field] hack
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may confuse this with the positive sense of a "hack" as a clever solution. In this meaning, calling someone a "hack" is negative and insulting, especially about their professional quality.
Sinonime
hacksaw (N/A)
|
drone (Suggests a worker who works without creativity; less specifically about low quality for money.)
|
hack writer (More specific phrase for an unoriginal or low-quality writer.)
|
lackey (Focuses more on being obedient to powerful people than on low-quality work.)
Antonime
professional (Suggests someone who does their job with skill and standards, not like a hack.)
|
talent (Emphasizes genuine ability and creativity, the opposite of a hack.)
Colocații
a political hack
|a party hack
|a Hollywood hack
|a journalistic hack
|just another hack
Teme
work
|media
|politics
Exemple
- Many critics dismissed him as just another Hollywood hack.
- She refused to become a political hack who simply repeated the party line.
- The article reads like it was written by a lazy hack on a tight deadline.
- He started as a newspaper hack before becoming a respected novelist.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- They called him a political hack because he always agreed with the party.
- Some people think the film was made by hacks, not real artists.
- She does not want to write like a hack just to make money.
- He worked as a newspaper hack for many years.
Verb
informal
B2
action
6
Cope with or manage something
To be able to do or accept something difficult or stressful.
Tipar de utilizare:
to hack it in [a place/role]; to hack [it]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes think "hack it" is about computers because of other meanings of "hack." In this expression, "hack it" is an informal way to say "cope" or "handle," and it is not related to technology.
Sinonime
cope (More neutral and common in both spoken and written English; slightly more formal than "hack it.")
|
handle (Similar meaning; does not carry the informal tone of "hack it.")
|
manage (General word for dealing with difficulty; less emotional than "can’t hack it.")
Antonime
struggle (Emphasizes difficulty and lack of success in coping.)
|
give up (Means to stop trying because you cannot hack it.)
Colocații
can’t hack it
|hack it in the city
|hack it as a teacher
|hack the pressure
|hack the workload
Teme
emotions
|work
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Exemple
- He just couldn’t hack it in the army and left after six months.
- If you can’t hack the long hours, this job isn’t for you.
- She thought she could hack it as a lawyer, but the stress was too much.
- Not everyone can hack the pressure of working in emergency medicine.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- I can’t hack it in this noisy office.
- He couldn’t hack the cold weather and moved south.
- She tried to be a doctor but couldn’t hack it.
- If you can’t hack the stress, you should change jobs.
Verb
informal
C1
action
7
Make or change something quickly and roughly
To make or change something fast and not very neatly, often just so it works for now.
Tipar de utilizare:
to hack [something] together
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may confuse this with the illegal computer sense. Here, "hack" means to build or change something quickly and roughly, and does not necessarily mean anything illegal.
Sinonime
cobble together (Very close meaning; often used outside of tech as well.)
|
jerry-rig (Informal; emphasizes temporary or unstable construction with limited tools or parts.)
|
throw together (General and informal; does not strongly suggest technical or creative work.)
Antonime
craft (Suggests careful, skilled, and detailed creation, not quick and rough.)
|
refine (Means to improve and polish something, the opposite of just hacking it together.)
Colocații
hack together a solution
|hack some code
|hack a quick prototype
|hack the script
|hack something together overnight
Teme
technology
|work
|creativity
Exemple
- We hacked together a working demo the night before the presentation.
- The app was hacked together in a weekend and still has lots of bugs.
- They hacked a simple prototype so investors could see the basic idea.
- He hacked the script so the scene could be filmed with fewer actors.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- We hacked together a simple website for the event.
- She hacked a quick meal together with what was in the fridge.
- They hacked a small program to test the idea.
- He hacked the chair back together with tape and glue.
Verb
B2
action
8
Cough hard or repeatedly
To cough again and again in a hard, dry way.
Tipar de utilizare:
to hack [all night]; to hack up [phlegm/blood]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may not recognize "hack" as a verb for coughing and may think it always refers to computers. In phrases like "a hacking cough," it clearly relates to the sound of coughing.
Sinonime
cough (General term; does not necessarily suggest the harsh or repeated sound of "hack.")
|
splutter (Focuses more on a choking or messy sound than on a dry, repeated cough.)
Antonime
breathe easily (Describes normal breathing without coughing.)
Colocații
hack all night
|hack and cough
|hacking cough
|hack up phlegm
|hack up blood
Teme
health
|daily life
|body
Exemple
- He hacked all night, unable to sleep because of the dry air.
- The smoker sat in the corner, hacking and wheezing loudly.
- She kept hacking into a tissue, her throat raw from the infection.
- After a few minutes he began to hack up thick phlegm.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He hacked all night because of his cold.
- The sick man sat in bed and hacked into a towel.
- She hacked badly during the meeting and had to leave.
- The doctor asked him how long he had been hacking.
Substantiv
informal
C1
entity
9
Worn‑out horse or overused person
A horse for normal riding, not sport; or a person or thing that is old, tired, and used only for boring work.
Tipar de utilizare:
an old hack
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may confuse this with the insulting professional sense of "hack" for a low-quality worker. This meaning can be similar when used about people, but it also has a more literal sense for ordinary riding horses.
Sinonime
nag (Informal word for an old or weak horse; close to the horse meaning of "hack.")
|
has-been (Informal; focuses on a person who was once successful but is no longer important.)
Antonime
star (Suggests someone admired and in demand, not a worn‑out hack.)
|
thoroughbred (A well-bred, high-quality horse, opposite of an ordinary hack.)
Colocații
old hack
|tired old hack
|worn-out hack
|a riding hack
|treated like a hack
Teme
animals
|insults
|work
Exemple
- The children learned to ride on an old, gentle hack.
- He used to be a star, but now he’s seen as a tired old hack.
- They treated him like a hack, giving him only the most boring jobs.
- The stable keeps a few quiet hacks for beginners to practice on.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- She rode a quiet hack at the farm.
- He feels like an old hack at work, doing the same job every day.
- They called him a tired old hack after the show.
- The school keeps some hacks for new riders.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
hack
IPA
GB/hˈæk/
US/hˈæk/
Silabe și accent
hack (1 silabă)
Stress on 1st syllable (hack)
Forme ale cuvântului
Noun
- Base: hack
- Plural: hacks
Verb
- Base: hack
- 3rd Person Singular: hacks
- Present Participle: hacking
- Past: hacked
Familie de cuvinte
Forms
hacks
noun
hacking
verb
hacked
verb
Core family
hacker
noun B2
Related words
hackable
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
unhackable
adjective
Advanced or less common
hacktivist
noun
hacktivism
noun
Expresii
can’t hack it
1/kˈænt hˈæk ˈɪt/
fixed phrase
informal
Be unable to cope or succeed
To not be able to do or accept something difficult or stressful.
Exemple
- He dropped out of medical school because he just couldn’t hack it.
- If you can’t hack it, no one will blame you for quitting.
- Some new hires simply couldn’t hack it and left after a few weeks.
hack around with
1/hˈæk ɚˈaʊnd wˈɪθ/
phrasal verb
informal
Experiment casually with something
To play with or try different things with a device, system, or idea without a strict plan.
Exemple
- He likes to hack around with old computers in his spare time.
- We spent the afternoon hacking around with the new software tools.
- She hacked around with the code until the error finally disappeared.
hack away at
1/hˈæk əwˈeɪ ˈæt/
phrasal verb
Cut or hit something again and again
To keep cutting or hitting something many times, usually in a strong and rough way.
Exemple
- They spent hours hacking away at the thick roots with an axe.
- He hacked away at the ice on the windshield until it finally broke free.
- The workers hacked away at the old fence posts to clear the land.
hack into
1/hˈæk ˈɪntu/
phrasal verb
Illegally access a system or account
To get into a computer, network, or online account without permission.
Exemple
- Criminals tried to hack into the hospital’s computer system.
- Someone hacked into my email and changed the password.
- The company strengthened its security after hackers hacked into its servers last year.
hack it
1/hˈæk ˈɪt/
fixed phrase
informal
Cope or succeed in a situation
To be able to do or accept something difficult or stressful; to manage or succeed.
Exemple
- If you can’t hack it in this industry, you should look for another career.
- She thought she could hack it in New York, but the pace was too fast.
- Only a few trainees really hacked it and made it to the final round.
hack job
1/hˈæk d͡ʒˈɑb/
fixed phrase
informal
Very poor, rushed work
Work that is done too fast and without care, so the result is very bad.
Exemple
- The repair was a total hack job and broke again a week later.
- Critics called the movie a hack job full of clichés.
- Whoever installed this wiring did a real hack job on the house.
hack together
1/hˈæk təɡˈɛðɚ/
phrasal verb
informal
Make something quickly and roughly
To build or make something fast and not very neatly, often just so it works for now.
Exemple
- We hacked together a basic website so customers could place orders online.
- They hacked together a cheap sound system for the party using old speakers.
- The engineers hacked together a temporary fix while they worked on a real solution.
hack up
1/hˈæk ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
Cut something roughly into pieces
To cut something into several pieces in a strong, rough way.
Exemple
- The butcher hacked up the carcass in a matter of minutes.
- They hacked up the fallen tree so they could move it off the road.
- He hacked up the old furniture and took it to the dump.
life hack
1/lˈaɪf hˈæk/
fixed phrase
informal
Clever tip for everyday life
A simple, clever idea that helps you do a normal daily task more easily or quickly.
Exemple
- Putting your phone in a glass to make the sound louder is a classic life hack.
- The video went viral because it shared ten easy life hacks for small apartments.
- Freezing grapes to chill wine without watering it down is my favorite life hack.
old hack
1/ˈoʊld hˈæk/
fixed phrase
informal
Boring, overused or untalented worker
A person who has done the same job for many years and is seen as boring or not very good.
Exemple
- He’s just an old hack who’s been writing the same story for twenty years.
- She doesn’t want to become an old hack stuck in a job she hates.
- They hired a few young writers to freshen up the team of old hacks.