ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hacking

n. · v. · adj.
US //ˈhækɪŋ// UK //hˈækɪŋ// hack·ing
  1. 1 unauthorized computer access (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    the act of using a computer to illegally get into someone else's system or information.

    the practice of gaining unauthorized access to data in a system or computer.

    Example

    The company improved its security after a hacking incident last year.

    Example

    State-sponsored hacking has become a significant concern for national security agencies tasked with protecting critical infrastructure.

    Usage

    uncountable in this sense
  2. 2 technical problem-solving (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Computing

    using clever or creative ways to fix technical problems or improve a computer system.

    the act of engaging in clever, creative, or playful technical work, particularly in programming or electronics.

    Example

    He spent the weekend hacking together a new app for his phone.

    Example

    The culture of hacking at the university encouraged students to find elegant solutions to complex hardware limitations.

    Usage

    uncountable in this sense
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  1. 3 coughing (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    a type of short, dry, and repeated cough.

    the act of emitting a succession of short, dry coughs.

    Example

    The cold weather gave him a nasty hacking cough that lasted for weeks.

    Example

    The patient presented with a persistent hacking cough, though the chest X-ray showed no signs of acute infection.

    Usage

    often used as 'a hacking cough'
  2. 4 cutting roughly (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    cutting or hitting something with heavy, rough movements.

    the action of cutting or striking something with repeated, irregular blows.

    Example

    They spent the afternoon hacking through the thick bushes in the garden.

    Example

    The explorers were exhausted after hours of hacking through the dense jungle undergrowth with their machetes.

    Usage

    present participle of the verb 'hack'
  3. 5 broken or jerky (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Literary

    describing something that is short, interrupted, or not smooth.

    characterized by short, interrupted, or jerky movements or sounds.

    Example

    The old engine made a hacking sound before it finally stopped working.

    Example

    The witness described the suspect's movements as hacking and unnatural, as if he were struggling against his own limbs.
Etymology 1

From Middle English *hackynge, hackande, hakand, equivalent to hack + -ing.

Etymology 2

From Middle English hackynge, hakkynge, hacckinge, equivalent to hack + -ing.

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