# hacking

/ˈhækɪŋ/ (US) · /hˈækɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hacking
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. unauthorized computer access

noun · CEFR B1

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

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

- The company improved its security after a hacking incident last year.
- State-sponsored hacking has become a significant concern for national security agencies tasked with protecting critical infrastructure.

Usage: uncountable in this sense

### 2. technical problem-solving

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

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

- He spent the weekend hacking together a new app for his phone.
- The culture of hacking at the university encouraged students to find elegant solutions to complex hardware limitations.

Usage: uncountable in this sense

### 3. coughing

noun · CEFR B2

a type of short, dry, and repeated cough.

For teachers: the act of emitting a succession of short, dry coughs.

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

### 4. cutting roughly

verb · CEFR B1

cutting or hitting something with heavy, rough movements.

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

- They spent the afternoon hacking through the thick bushes in the garden.
- The explorers were exhausted after hours of hacking through the dense jungle undergrowth with their machetes.

Usage: present participle of the verb 'hack'

### 5. broken or jerky

adjective · CEFR C2 · Literary

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

For teachers: characterized by short, interrupted, or jerky movements or sounds.

- The old engine made a hacking sound before it finally stopped working.
- The witness described the suspect's movements as hacking and unnatural, as if he were struggling against his own limbs.

## Examples

- The company improved its security to prevent hacking.
- After the recent hacking incident, the bank required all customers to change their passwords and enable two-step verification.
- While ethical hacking involves identifying vulnerabilities to improve security, malicious actors use the same techniques to compromise sensitive infrastructure for financial gain or political disruption.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.