hack
IPA: hˈæk
noun
- A tool for chopping.
- A hacking blow.
- A gouge or notch made by such a blow.
- A dry cough.
- A hacking; a catch in speaking; a short, broken cough.
- (figuratively) A try, an attempt.
- (curling) The foothold traditionally cut into the ice from which the person who throws the rock pushes off for delivery.
- (obsolete) A mattock or a miner's pickaxe.
- (informal) An improvised device or solution to a problem.
- (computing, slang) An expedient, temporary solution, such as a small patch or change to code, meant to be replaced with a more elegant solution at a later date; a workaround.
- (computing, slang, dated) A computer programmer who makes quick but inelegant changes to computer code to solve problems or add features.
- (computing, slang, dated) A computer programmer, particularly a veteran or someone not immediately expected to be capable of programming.
- (computing, slang) An interesting technical achievement, particularly in computer programming.
- (colloquial) A trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method to increase productivity, efficiency, or ease.
- (computing, slang) The illegal accessing of a computer network.
- (computing, slang) A video game or any computer software that has been altered from its original state.
- (slang, military) Time check, as for example upon synchronization of wristwatches.
- (ice hockey) The act of striking an opponent with one's hockey stick, typically on the leg but occasionally and more seriously on the back, arm, head, etc.
- (baseball) A swing of the bat at a pitched ball by the batter, particularly a choppy, ungraceful one that misses the ball such as at a fastball.
- A kick on the shins in football of any type.
- (uncountable, slang, naval) Confinement of an officer to their stateroom as a punishment.
- (military, slang) An airplane of poor quality or in poor condition.
- (falconry) A board which the falcon's food is placed on; used by extension for the state of partial freedom in which they are kept before being trained.
- A food-rack for cattle.
- A rack used to dry something, such as bricks, fish, or cheese.
- A grating in a mill race.
- A horse for hire, especially one which is old and tired.
- A person, often a journalist, hired to do routine work.
- (derogatory) Someone who is available for hire; hireling, mercenary.
- (slang) The driver of a taxicab (hackney cab).
- (now chiefly Canada, US, colloquial) A vehicle let for hire; originally, a hackney cab, now typically a taxicab.
- A hearse.
- (derogatory, authorship) An untalented writer.
- (derogatory) One who is professionally successful despite producing mediocre work. (Usually applied to persons in a creative field.)
- (derogatory) A talented writer-for-hire, paid to put others' thoughts into felicitous language.
- (politics, slightly derogatory) A political agitator.
- (UK, student politics, derogatory) A person who frequently canvasses for votes, either directly or by appearing to continuously act with the ulterior motive of furthering their political career.
- (obsolete) A writer who hires himself out for any sort of literary work; an overworked man; a drudge.
- (obsolete) A procuress.
- A small ball usually made of woven cotton or suede and filled with rice, sand or some other filler, for use in hackeysack.
- A surname
verb
- (transitive) To chop or cut down in a rough manner.
- (intransitive) To cough noisily.
- To withstand or put up with a difficult situation.
- (computing) To make a quick code change to patch a computer program, often one that, while being effective, is inelegant or makes the program harder to maintain.
- (computing) To accomplish a difficult programming task.
- (computing, slang, transitive) To work with something on an intimately technical level.
- (transitive, colloquial, by extension) To apply a trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method to something to increase productivity, efficiency or ease.
- (transitive, slang, computing) To hack into; to gain unauthorized access to (a computer system, e.g., a website, or network) by manipulating code.
- (transitive, slang, computing, by extension) To gain unauthorised access to a computer or online account belonging to (a person or organisation).
- (intransitive, video games) To cheat by using unauthorized modifications.
- (ice hockey) To strike an opponent with one's hockey stick, typically on the leg but occasionally and more seriously on the back, arm, head, etc.
- (ice hockey) To make a flailing attempt to hit the puck with a hockey stick.
- (baseball) To swing at a pitched ball.
- (soccer and rugby) To kick (a player) on the shins.
- To strike in a frantic movement.
- (transitive) To strike lightly as part of tapotement massage.
- To lay (bricks) on a rack to dry.
- (falconry) To keep (young hawks) in a state of partial freedom, before they are trained.
- (dated) To make common or cliched; to vulgarise.
- (equestrianism) To ride a horse at a regular pace; to ride on a road (as opposed to riding cross-country etc.).
- (obsolete) To live the life of a drudge or hack.
- To use as a hack; to let out for hire.
- To use frequently and indiscriminately, so as to render trite and commonplace.
- To drive a hackney cab.
- To play hackeysack.
Examples of "hack" in Sentences
- The object is to never drop the hack.
- The hack is a central part of the story.
- What's with the hack job and snide remarks
- This is a nifty hack to suppress the images.
- The hackers themselves announced the hacking.
- The results of the first hack are shown below.
- He's an acrimonious, bellicose, cowardly Neocon hack.
- The zombies hack at the doors of the house with the tools.
- The vast majority of the hacked correspondence is innocuous.
- The moral standing of the hack has no bearing on the science.