hack Hear it!

hack¹ Definition

hack (hak)

transitive verb

    1. to chop or cut crudely, roughly, or irregularly, as with a hatchet
    2. to shape, trim, damage, etc. with or as with rough, sweeping strokes
  2. to break up (land) as with a hoe or mattock
  3. ☆ Slang to deal with or carry out successfully
  4. ☆ Slang to annoy or irritate: usually with off
  5. ☆ Basketball to foul by striking the arm of (an opponent who has the ball) with the hand or arm
  6. Rugby to foul by kicking (an opponent) on the shins

Etymology: ME hacken < OE haccian, akin to Ger hacken < IE base *keg-, peg, hook > hook, hatchel

intransitive verb

  1. to make rough or irregular cuts
  2. to give harsh, dry coughs
  3. ☆ Basketball to hack an opponent

noun

  1. a tool for cutting or hacking, as an ax, hoe, mattock, etc.
  2. a slash, gash, or notch made by a sharp implement
  3. a hacking blow
  4. a harsh, dry cough

hack¹ Idioms

hack around

☆

Informal to engage in aimless activity; spend time idly

hack it

☆

Slang to carry out or manage something successfully

hack² Definition

hack (hak)

noun

    1. a horse for hire
    2. a horse for all sorts of work
    3. a saddle horse
    4. an old, worn-out horse
  2. a person hired to do routine, often dull, writing; literary drudge
  3. ☆ a worker for a political party, usually holding office through patronage and serving devotedly and unquestioningly
  4. a carriage or coach for hire
  5. Informal
    1. a taxicab
    2. a hackman or cabdriver

Etymology: contr. < hackney

transitive verb

  1. to employ as a hack
  2. to hire out (a horse, etc.)
  3. to wear out or make stale by constant use

intransitive verb

  1. Brit. to jog along on a horse
  2. ☆ Informal to drive a taxicab
  3. Comput. to be a hacker (sense )

adjective

  1. employed as a hack a hack writer
  2. done by a hack a hack job
  3. stale; trite; hackneyed hack writing

hack³ Definition

hack (hak)

noun

a grating or rack for drying cheese or fish, holding food for cattle, etc.

Etymology: orig., board on which a falcon's meat was put, var. of hatch

transitive verb

to place on a hack for drying

hack Synonyms

hack

n.

  1. A literary drudge

    scribbler, pulp-story writer, ghost writer, propaganda writer, inferior writer, writer of potboilers, free-lance writer, commercial writer, popular novelist, ghost*, free lance*, tenth rater*, penny-a-liner*; see also writer.

    Antonyms artist*, literary master, literary genius.

  2. A coach for hire

    cab, taxicab, taxi, hackney; see carriage 2, vehicle 1.

  3. A cut

    notch, nick, cleavage; see cut 2.

  4. A horse for hire

    nag, hackney, crowbait*; see horse 1.

  5. *Commercial driver, especially of a taxicab

    taxi driver, cab driver, chauffeur, cabbie; see driver.

hack Synonyms

hack

v.

chop, whack, mangle; see cut 1.

hack Usage Examples

Object

  • registry: Following some of the threads on here I hacked the registry to give Dword Bluetooth Browser enabled value 0 ( instead of 1 ).
  • ball: From the resulting play Town elected to kick but Danny Brough hacked the ball clear for a drop out.
  • pace: I was so worried at the start that I wouldn't be able to hack the pace of a 9-5.

Converse of object

  • assemble: But the assembled hacks were faced with a torrential downpour as they attempted to leave the reception.
  • detect: They also do detect some unlocker hacks, but not all.

Adjective modifier

  • talentless: Reviewed by: Wez Reviewed on: 25 Mar 2006 Eli Roth is a talentless hack.
  • tabloid: Just brace yourself for the next few weeks of the tabloid hacks digging up as much dirt as possible on the Gaydamak family.
  • cynical: Another cowardly cynical hack on a player of superior ability.
  • fellow: Acting on a tip-off from a fellow political hack, Nelson accused Sunday Telegraph political editor Patrick Hennessy of being behind the dirty deed.

Adjective complement

clear: The ball, however, smacked off the left upright and was hacked clear.

Modifying Another Word

cynically: McCarthy was cynically hacked down for ours but somehow managed to play on afterward.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • around: I am not even going to suggest you do not hack around inside the spreadsheets.
  • down: Colbeck's first action saw him hacking down Lee Trundle earning him a yellow card within 15 seconds of coming onto the field.

Followed by a transitive particle

off: They even hacked off the hands of those who raised them to surrender!

Used with why or when

  • who: New barge by chickens to hack who beat some.
  • that: A web site hack that shuts down an e-commerce site can have disastrous consequences for a business.

Particle object:

plaster: We contracted a dpc company ( not original company ) however hacking off the plaster revealed not brick walls but clunch.

Noun used with modifier

  • unlocker: They also do detect some unlocker hacks, but not all.
  • graphics: At last count, it came with 64 different graphics hacks.