Hack — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective /ˈhak/

Meaning & Definition of Hack

Hack (verb)

  1. to cut or sever with repeated irregular or unskillful blows
  2. to cut or shape by or as if by crude or ruthless strokes
  3. annoy, vex —often used with off
  4. to ride or drive at an ordinary pace or over the roads especially as distinguished from racing or hunting
  5. to operate a taxicab
  6. to ride (a horse) at an ordinary pace
  7. to rear (a young hawk) in a state of partial liberty especially prior to the acquisition of flight and hunting capabilities

Hack (noun)

  1. a tool for rough cutting or chopping, an implement for hacking
  2. nick, notch
  3. a short dry cough
  4. hackney
  5. taxicab
  6. cabdriver
  7. a guard especially at a prison

Hack (adjective)

  1. working for hire especially with mediocre professional standards
  2. performed by or suited to a person who works or writes purely for the purpose of earning money, characteristic of a hack, mediocre
  3. hackneyed, trite

Hack (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently

    "I doubt that she can hack a job with so many responsibilities"

    similar: address, contend (with), cope (with), field, grapple (with), handle, manage, maneuver, manipulate, negotiate, play, swing, take, treat, come to grips with, have a grip on
    related: engineer, finesse, jockey, bring off, carry off, carry out, get off, pull, command, direct, guide, steer, control, micromanage, regulate, run, react (to), respond (to)
    near: botch, bungle, foozle, fumble, goof (up), louse up, mess (up), mishandle, muff, scamp

  2. to put up with (something painful or difficult)

    "she's not sure she can hack that miserable job much longer"

    similar: abide, absorb, accept, bear, bide (chiefly dialect), brook, countenance, endure, go, handle, meet, pocket, stand, stick out, stomach, support, sustain, sweat out, take, tolerate, wear (British), live with, lump (it), stand for, tough it out
    related: allow, permit, suffer, swallow, reconcile (to), acquiesce, agree (with or to), assent (to), capitulate, consent (to), respect, submit (to), yield (to)
    near: decline, dismiss, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn, turn down, combat, contest, fight, oppose, resist, avoid, bypass, circumvent, dodge, elude, escape, evade, miss, abstain (from), forbear, refrain (from)

Hack (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. used or heard so often as to be dull

    "the abrupt revelation of an enemy masquerading as a friend is such a hack plot twist"

    similar: banal, cliché, clichéd, cobwebby, commonplace, hackney, hackneyed, moth-eaten, musty, obligatory, shopworn, stale, stereotyped, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, well-worn
    related: twice-told, bromidic, platitudinal, platitudinous, canned, cardboard, conventional, cookie-cutter, derivative, imitative, ready-made, tried-and-true, unimaginative, uninspired, unoriginal, normal, ordinary, rote, routine, standard, stock, typical, usual, arid, barren, boring, colorless, drab, dreary, drudging, dry, dull, dusty, flat, heavy, ho-hum, humdrum, jading, jejune, leaden, mind-numbing, monotonous, numbing, old, pedantic, pedestrian, ponderous, prosaic, stodgy, stuffy, tame, tedious, tiresome, tiring, undramatic, uninteresting, vapid, wearisome, weary, wearying, old-fashioned, old hat
    opposite: fresh, new, novel, original, unclichéd, unhackneyed
    near: animating, energizing, enlivening, exciting, galvanizing, invigorating, stimulating, absorbing, engaging, engrossing, gripping, interesting, intriguing, involving, riveting, atypical, extraordinary, strange, unaccustomed, uncommon, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unknown, unprecedented, unusual, pathbreaking, pioneering, trailblazing

Hack (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a V-shaped cut usually on an edge or a surface

    "smallish hacks made in the bark of the trees marked the trail through the forest"

    similar: chip, indent, indentation, indenture, kerf, nick, notch
    related: joggle, nock, punch, snip, groove, score, undercut, slit, slot

  2. a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument

    "completely stunned by a vicious hack across the neck"

    similar: bang, bash, bat, beat, belt, biff, blow, bop, box, buffet, bust, chop, clap, clip, clout, crack, cuff, dab, douse (British), fillip, haymaker, hit, hook, knock, larrup (dialect), lash, lick, pelt, pick, plump, poke, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slug, smack, smash, sock, spank, stinger, stripe, stroke, swat, swipe, switch, thud, thump, thwack, wallop, welt, whack, wham, whop
    related: counter, counterblow, counterpunch, counterstroke, body blow, hand, kick, knee, left, one-two, rabbit punch, right, right-hander, roundhouse, shiver, sidewinder, sucker punch, swing, uppercut, cruncher, kayo, knockdown, knockout, KO, bastinado, battering, beating, bludgeoning, clobbering, cudgeling, drubbing, hammering, lambasting, licking, pasting, pounding, pummeling, thrashing, flogging, walloping, whip, whipping

  3. an automobile that carries passengers for a fare usually determined by the distance traveled

    "after a week of hailing hacks and inhabiting hotels, the sales rep was happy to be home"

    similar: cab, taxi, taxicab
    related: hackney, limousine, gharry, rickshaw, water taxi, jitney

  4. a person who lacks experience and competence in an art or science

    "is he really any good at the piano or just a hack?"

    similar: amateur, hacker, inexpert, jackleg, trifler
    related: beginner, freshman, greenhorn, kid, learner, neophyte, newcomer, novice, rookie, tenderfoot, tyro
    opposite: ace, adept, crackerjack, craftsman, expert, hand, master, past master, shark, sharp
    near: maestro, virtuoso, whiz, wizard, old hand, old-timer, vet, veteran

Related Entry: Hack (around) (verb)

Hack (around) is a different word from Hack. The synonyms below are for hack (around), not for hack.

  1. to spend time doing nothing

    "would prefer to be put to work rather than spend his days at the ranch just hacking around"

    similar: bum, chill, dally, dawdle, dillydally, drone, footle, goof (off), hang (around or out), hang about (British), idle, kick around, kick back, laze, lazy, loaf, loll, lounge, veg out, kill time, twiddle one's thumbs
    related: fiddle (around), fool, mess, monkey, muck, piddle, play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle, doze, estivate, hibernate, lag, linger, loiter, poke, relax, rest, tarry, amble, mosey, saunter, stroll, swan, furlough, goldbrick, malinger, truant
    near: drudge, grind, grub, hump, hustle, labor, moil, peg, plod, plow, plug, slave, sweat, toil, travail, work, apply, buckle (down), exert, put out

Related Entry: Hack (off) (verb)

Hack (off) is a different word from Hack. The synonyms below are for hack (off), not for hack.

  1. to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts

    "people who ask blatantly stupid questions really hack me off"

    similar: aggravate, annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, eat, exasperate, frost, gall, get, grate, gripe, irk, irritate, itch, nark (British), nettle, peeve, persecute, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, vex, get one's goat, get on one's nerves, get to, rub the wrong way, set one's teeth on edge, stick in one's craw, wear on
    related: hassle, heckle, nag, inflame, provoke, rouse, badger, bait, bullyrag, devil, hagride, harass, harry, pester, plague, tease, anger, antagonize, enrage, incense, infuriate, madden, rankle, roil, agitate, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, exercise, freak (out), fret, perturb, undo, unhinge, unsettle, upset, worry, affront, insult, miff, offend, outrage
    near: appease, conciliate, mollify, oblige, pacify, placate, propitiate, delight, gladden, gratify, please, satisfy, assure, cheer, comfort, console, content, quiet, reassure, solace, soothe

Related Entry: Hack it (phrase)

Hack it is a different word from Hack. The synonyms below are for hack it, not for hack.

  1. to reach a desired level of accomplishment

    "a skilled home cook who nonetheless couldn't hack it as a restaurant chef"

    similar: arrive, flourish, prosper, succeed, thrive, come into one's own, cut it, cut the mustard, get ahead, get somewhere, get there, hit it big, make good, make it, make one's mark, make the grade
    related: prevail, triumph, win, excel
    opposite: fail
    near: flounder, struggle

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hack

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hack:

British: wear, douse
Chiefly dialect: bide
Dialect: larrup
address, contend (with), cope (with), field, grapple (with), handle, manage, maneuver, manipulate, negotiate, play, swing, take, treat, abide, absorb, accept, bear, brook, countenance, endure, go, meet, pocket, stand, stick out, stomach, support, sustain, sweat out, tolerate, come to grips with, have a grip on, live with, lump (it), stand for, tough it out, banal, cliché, clichéd

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hack

Words with the opposite meaning of Hack:

fresh, new, novel, original, unclichéd, unhackneyed, ace, adept, crackerjack, craftsman, expert, hand, master, past master, shark, sharp

Related Words for Hack

engineer, finesse, jockey, bring off, carry off, carry out, get off, pull, command, direct, guide, steer, control, micromanage, regulate, run, react (to), respond (to), allow, permit, suffer, swallow, reconcile (to), acquiesce, agree (with or to), assent (to), capitulate, consent (to), respect, submit (to)

Near Antonyms of Hack

botch, bungle, foozle, fumble, goof (up), louse up, mess (up), mishandle, muff, scamp, decline, dismiss, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn, turn down, combat, contest, fight, oppose, resist, avoid, bypass, circumvent, dodge, elude, escape, evade, miss

Word Forms of Hack

Inflections: hacked, hacking, hacks

Origin & Etymology of Hack

Middle English hacken, hakken, going back to Old English *haccian (Class II weak verb, attested in the prefixed forms ahaccian "to hack out, peck out [eyes]," tohaccian "to hack to pieces"), going back to West Germanic *hakkō- (whence also Old Frisian tohakia "to hack to pieces," Middle Dutch hacken, haken "to cut with repeated blows," Middle High German hacken), of uncertain origin

First known use: 12th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Hack

hack it, hack off, life hack

Frequently Asked Questions about Hack

What does "Hack" mean?

"Hack" means to cut or sever with repeated irregular or unskillful blows. As an a verb, a noun and an adjective, it is defined as: to cut or sever with repeated irregular or unskillful blows. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hack"?

Other words for "Hack" include address, contend (with), cope (with), field, grapple (with), handle, manage and maneuver. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hack" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hack"?

There are 285 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hack". Common alternatives include address, contend (with), cope (with), field, grapple (with), handle, manage, maneuver, manipulate and negotiate.

What is the opposite of "Hack"?

Antonyms of "Hack" include fresh, new, novel, original, unclichéd, unhackneyed, ace and adept. Near antonyms include botch, bungle, foozle and fumble.

How do you use "Hack" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hack" in a sentence: "I doubt that she can hack a job with so many responsibilities"; "she's not sure she can hack that miserable job much longer"; "the abrupt revelation of an enemy masquerading as a friend is such a hack plot twist".

Is "Hack" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hack" can be used as a verb, a noun and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Hack"?

"Hack" is pronounced /ˈhak/.

What is the origin of the word "Hack"?

"Hack" comes from Middle English hacken, hakken, going back to Old English *haccian (Class II weak verb, attested in the prefixed forms ahaccian "to hack out, peck out [eyes]," tohaccian "to hack to pieces"), going back to West Germanic *hakkō- (whence also Old Frisian tohakia "to hack to pieces," Middle Dutch hacken, haken "to cut with repeated blows," Middle High German hacken), of uncertain origin. First known use: 12th centuryt.