hack1

verb

• 1 [with object] cut with rough or heavy blows:hack off the dead branches [no object]:a fishmonger hacked at it with a cleaver

• 2 [no object] use a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system:they hacked into a bank’s computer
• [with object] gain unauthorized access to (data in a computer):hacking private information from computers

• 3 [usually with negative] (hack it) informal manage; cope:lots of people leave because they can’t hack it

noun

• 1a rough cut, blow, or stroke:he was sure one of us was going to take a hack at him
• (in sports) a kick or hit inflicted on another player.
• a cut or gash.
• a tool for rough striking or cutting, e.g., a mattock or a miner’s pick.

• 2 informal an act of computer hacking.
• a piece of computer code providing a quick or inelegant solution to a particular problem:this hack doesn’t work on machines that have a firewall