- to cut, notch, slice, chop, or sever (something) with or as with heavy, irregular blows (often followed by up or down): to hack meat; to hack down trees.
- to break up the surface of (the ground).
- to clear (a road, path, etc.) by cutting away vines, trees, brush, or the like: They hacked a trail through the jungle.
- to damage or injure by crude, harsh, or insensitive treatment; mutilate; mangle: The editor hacked the story to bits.
- to reduce or cut ruthlessly; trim: The Senate hacked the budget severely before returning it to the House.
- to deal or cope with; handle: He can't hack all this commuting.
- Computers.
- to modify (a computer program or electronic device) or write (a program) in a skillful or clever way: Developers have hacked the app.I hacked my tablet to do some very cool things.
- to circumvent security and break into (a network, computer, file, etc.), often with malicious intent: Criminals hacked the bank's servers yesterday.Our cybersecurity team systematically hacks our network to find vulnerabilities.
- to make use of a tip, trick, or efficient method for doing or managing (something): to hack a classic recipe;to hack your weekend with healthy habits.
- to strike the arm of (an opposing ball handler): He got a penalty for hacking the shooter.
- to kick or kick at the shins of (an opposing player) in Rugby football.
- to embarrass, annoy, or disconcert.
- to make rough cuts or notches; deal cutting blows.
- to cough harshly, usually in short and repeated spasms.
- Computers.
- to modify a computer program or electronic device in a skillful or clever way: to hack around with HTML;It's pretty easy to hack with scripts.
- to break into a network, computer, file, etc., often with malicious intent: Students tried to hack into their school server to change their grades.
- Tennis.
- to take a poor, ineffective, or awkward swing at the ball.
- to play tennis at a mediocre level.
- to kick or kick at an opponent's shins in Rugby football.
- a cut, gash, or notch.
- a tool, as an ax, hoe, or pick, for hacking.
- an act or instance of hacking; a cutting blow.
- a short, rasping dry cough.
- a hesitation in speech.
- Computers.
- a piece of code that modifies a computer program in a skillful or clever way: software hacks.
- an act or instance of breaking into a network, computer, file, etc., often with malicious intent (often used attributively): a hack on our system;a recent hack attack.
- a tip, trick, or efficient method for doing or managing something: hacks for holiday entertaining;parenting hacks.
- an indentation made in the ice at the foot score, for supporting the foot in delivering the stone.
- a gash in the skin produced by a kick, as in Rugby football.
- to pass the time idly; indulge in idle talk.
- to handle or cope with a situation or an assignment adequately and calmly: The new recruit just can't hack it.
- a person, such as an artist or writer, who exploits their creative ability or training in the production of dull, unimaginative, and trite work; one who produces banal and mediocre work for money in the hope of gaining commercial success in the arts: As a painter, he was little more than a hack.
- a professional who renounces or surrenders individual independence, integrity, belief, etc., in return for money or other reward in the performance of a task normally thought of as involving a strong personal commitment:The senator was widely considered a mere political hack.
- a writer who works on the staff of a publisher at a dull or routine task; someone who works as a literary drudge: He was one among the many hacks on Grub Street.
- British.
- a horse kept for common hire or adapted for general work, especially ordinary riding.
- a saddle horse used for transportation, rather than for show, hunting, or the like.
- an old or worn-out horse; jade.
- a coach or carriage kept for hire; hackney.
- Informal.
- a taxi.
- a cabdriver.
- a prison guard.
- to make a hack of; let out for hire.
- to make trite or stale by frequent use; hackney.
- to drive a taxi.
- to ride or drive on the road at an ordinary pace, as distinguished from cross-country riding or racing.
- to rent a horse, especially by the hour.
- a rack for drying food, as fish.
- a rack for holding fodder for livestock.
- a low pile of unburnt bricks in the course of drying.
- to place (something) on a hack, as for drying or feeding.
- to train (a young hawk) by letting it fly freely and feeding it at a hack board or a hack house.
- (of a young hawk) being trained to fly freely but to return to a hack house or hack board for food rather than to pursue quarry.
- to cut or chop (at) irregularly, roughly, or violently
- to cut and clear (a way, path, etc), as through undergrowth
- (in sport, esp rugby) to foul (an opposing player) by kicking or striking his shins
- to commit the foul of striking (an opposing player) on the arm
- to cough in short dry spasmodic bursts
- to reduce or cut (a story, article, etc) in a damaging way
- to manipulate a computer program skilfully, esp, to gain unauthorized access to another computer system
- to tolerate; cope with
- to damage severely
- a cut, chop, notch, or gash, esp as made by a knife or axe
- any tool used for shallow digging, such as a mattock or pick
- a chopping blow
- a dry spasmodic cough
- a kick on the shins, as in rugby
- a wound from a sharp kick
- a horse kept for riding or (more rarely) for driving
- an old, ill-bred, or overworked horse
- a horse kept for hire
- a country ride on horseback
- a drudge
- a person who produces mediocre literary or journalistic work
- a coach or carriage that is for hire
- Also called: hackie US informal
- a cab driver
- a taxi
- to ride (a horse) cross-country for pleasure
- to let (a horse) out for hire
- to write (an article) as or in the manner of a hack
- to drive a taxi
- banal, mediocre, or unoriginal
- a rack used for fodder for livestock
- a board on which meat is placed for a hawk
- a pile or row of unfired bricks stacked to dry
- to place (fodder) in a hack
- to place (bricks) in a hack