hack
Illegally enter a computer or account
To get into a computer, network, or online account without permission.
to hack into [a system/account]
- 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.
- 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.
Simple clever trick or shortcut
A small idea or trick that helps you do something more easily or quickly.
a hack for [doing something]
- 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.
- 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?
Unauthorized access incident (data breach)
An event when someone breaks into a computer system or online service without permission.
a hack on [a system/company]
- 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.
- 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.
Cut or hit roughly with a tool
To cut something again and again in a strong, rough way, usually with a big tool.
to hack at [something]
- 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.
- 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.
Low‑quality or unoriginal professional
A person, often a writer or worker in politics, who does boring, low-quality work mostly for money.
a [field] hack
- 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.
- 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.
Cope with or manage something
To be able to do or accept something difficult or stressful.
to hack it in [a place/role]; to hack [it]
- 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.
- 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.
Make or change something quickly and roughly
To make or change something fast and not very neatly, often just so it works for now.
to hack [something] together
- 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.
- 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.
Cough hard or repeatedly
To cough again and again in a hard, dry way.
to hack [all night]; to hack up [phlegm/blood]
- 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.
- 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.
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.
an old hack
- 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.
- 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.
- Base: hack
- Plural: hacks
- Base: hack
- 3rd Person Singular: hacks
- Present Participle: hacking
- Past: hacked
can’t hack it
1Be unable to cope or succeed
To not be able to do or accept something difficult or stressful.
- 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
1Experiment casually with something
To play with or try different things with a device, system, or idea without a strict plan.
- 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
1Cut or hit something again and again
To keep cutting or hitting something many times, usually in a strong and rough way.
- 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
1Illegally access a system or account
To get into a computer, network, or online account without permission.
- 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
1Cope or succeed in a situation
To be able to do or accept something difficult or stressful; to manage or succeed.
- 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
1Very poor, rushed work
Work that is done too fast and without care, so the result is very bad.
- 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
1Make something quickly and roughly
To build or make something fast and not very neatly, often just so it works for now.
- 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
1Cut something roughly into pieces
To cut something into several pieces in a strong, rough way.
- 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
1Clever tip for everyday life
A simple, clever idea that helps you do a normal daily task more easily or quickly.
- 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
1Boring, overused or untalented worker
A person who has done the same job for many years and is seen as boring or not very good.
- 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.