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hacker

hacker

166 4.8
Someone who explores computer systems and writes programs to solve problems in creative ways
  • noun
  • /ˈhækər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : hacker
  • The car's first and only owner is a hacker who enjoyed servicing the car himself.
  • computer hacker
  • hacker attacks
  • invaded by hackers

What's the best prompt hackers use that you could share?

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Examples

  • And we have white hat hackers who do it for a living.

  • Many companies hire a hacker to test their computer systems for vulnerabilities.

  • Just a long shot, but maybe it takes a hacker to catch a hacker.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Maybe you were a hacker before you were CEO.

  • I am what you might call a hacker.

  • But there is a core group of hackers who have extraordinary skills.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I did an interview a few years back with a jailed hacker named Michael Dennison.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The stock market's reaction to the hacker attacks can be conceptualized as follows.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Contractors often are the targets of hacker groups because they offer a potential "backdoor" into government agencies.

    Academic text (2017)
  • The U.S. government prevents thousands of hackers from breaching its systems every day.

    Academic text (2017)

How Skilled

expert
3 3.5
engineer
729 3.2
developer
213 3.0
hacker
  • Jargon
166 4.8
tinkerer
6 6.9
hobbyist
12 3.5
beginner
81 1.0

Surface Forms

hacker singular
hackers plural

Morphology

hacker = hack (transparent) = hack + er

A standard agentive formation from the verb 'hack'; the meaning 'person who hacks (codes/tinkers)' follows directly from the base verb.

Etymology

Hacker for someone who explores computers comes from the idea of a hack as a clever, quick trick or 'fix', so a hacker is someone who finds creative technical solutions and enjoys testing and learning systems.