hack1

 
Pronunciation: /hak/

verb

  • 1 [with object] cut with rough or heavy blows: I watched them hack the branches [no object]: men hack at the coalface
  • kick wildly or roughly: he had to race from his line to hack the ball into the stand
  • 2 [no object] gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer: they hacked into the bank’s computer [with object]: someone hacked his computer from another location (as noun hacking) outlawing hacking has not stopped it
  • program quickly and roughly.
  • 3 [no object] cough persistently: I was waking up in the middle of the night and coughing and hacking for hours
  • 4 [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 sport) a kick or a stroke with a stick inflicted on another player.
  • a notch cut in the ice, or a peg inserted, to steady the foot when delivering a stone in curling.
  • a tool for rough striking or cutting, e.g. a mattock or a miner’s pick.
  • archaic a gash or wound.
  • 2 informal an act of computer hacking: the challenge of the hack itself
  • a piece of computer code which performs some function, especially an unofficial alternative or addition to a commercial program: freeware and shareware hacks

Phrasal Verbs

hack around

North American informal pass one’s time idly or with no definite purpose: she hacked around with neighbourhood buddies

hack someone off

informal annoy or infuriate someone: it really hacks me off when they whine about what a poor job we’re doing

Origin:

Old English haccian 'cut in pieces', of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch hakken and German hacken