hack

/hæk/
noun
  1. A writer who produces low-quality or unoriginal work for money.
    • He was dismissed as a mere hack by literary critics.
    • She worked as a hack for a tabloid magazine.
    • The newspaper hired a hack to write filler articles.
  2. A clever or simple solution to a problem, especially a computer-related one.
    • I found a great hack to speed up my computer.
    • The programmer shared a useful hack for debugging code.
    • This life hack will save you hours of cleaning time.
  3. An act of gaining unauthorized access to a computer system.
    • The hack exposed thousands of user passwords.
    • The company suffered a major hack last month.
    • They discovered the hack after unusual activity was reported.
  4. A horse that is available for hire or used for routine riding.
    • The old hack was gentle and easy to ride.
    • He led the hack out of the stable for a short ride.
    • They rented a hack for the afternoon trail ride.
  5. A taxi or a driver of a taxi.
    • She paid the hack and got out at the corner.
    • The hack driver knew the city streets well.
    • We hailed a hack to take us to the airport.
Synonyms
verb
  1. To cut or chop something roughly or with repeated blows.
    • The gardener hacked away at the overgrown bushes.
    • He used an axe to hack the wood into smaller pieces.
    • She hacked the old branch off the tree with a saw.
  2. To gain unauthorized access to a computer system or network.
    • The hacker managed to hack the security system.
    • He learned how to hack websites from online tutorials.
    • Someone tried to hack into the company's database.
  3. To manage or cope with something, often in a clever or informal way.
    • She found a way to hack the problem by using a simple trick.
    • We need to hack this project before the deadline.
    • I can't hack this job anymore; it's too stressful.
  4. To cough in a short, dry, and harsh way.
    • The patient hacked loudly during the examination.
    • She hacked a few times before clearing her throat.
    • He started to hack after breathing in the smoke.