hackers

noun

plural of hacker
1
as in crackers
a person who illegally gains access to a computer system and sometimes tampers with its information the company's security experts spent days trying to figure out how a hacker could have gotten past the firewall

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2
as in amateurs
a person who lacks experience and competence in an art or science weekend golf hackers who are there mainly for the social networking

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hackers Cyberattacks Anthropic warned that hackers could gain unauthorized access to the company's proprietary data, including information about its finances, models and other intellectual property, as well as users' personal data. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 What increased access to AI tools has done is lower the barrier to entry for even unskilled hackers to target low-hanging fruit. — Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026 Many of these updates include critical security fixes, and installing them as quickly as possible shortens the amount of time hackers have to take advantage of bugs. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026 MonsterCloud’s services were particularly popular with local law enforcement agencies, who are loath to engage with or pay criminal hackers. — Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 26 Oct. 2026 The agencies said the hackers were potentially positioning themselves to disrupt essential services during a future conflict. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026 Then, in April, Feldstein Soto slipped from unpopular to politically radioactive after hackers stole thousands of LAPD files from her office. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Then, a botched disclosure process gave hackers a head start on taking advantage of it before the world had a chance to react. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026 That's all data that hackers, scammers, and criminals of all kinds can use to create convincing phishing emails or text messages to trick you into giving them your money, additional personal data, or both. — Kim Key, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hackers
  1. geeks
  2. amateurs
  3. kids
  4. beginners
Noun
  • For movie geeks everywhere, this has been the question since Kubrick’s death in 1999.
    — Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In recent weeks, a number of states have been winning multibillion-dollar settlements from the computer geeks.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of geeks
Noun
  • The London edition of Frieze, a longstanding highlight on the global art calendar that draws an annual pilgrimage of high-net-worth collectors, advisors, dealers, curators, institutional directors and amateurs to the British capital.
    — Mahoro Seward, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Investors follow, with professionals leading the way and amateurs jumping in later.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of amateurs
Noun
  • The South is cheapest for young kids For families with young children, annual costs are lowest across much of the South.
    — Martie Bowser, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • When Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stopped in London in 2024, the Prince of Wales wanted a photo with his kids and the world-famous singer.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of kids
Noun
  • Ski Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is one of the hardest mountains in North America, with only 10 percent of its terrain meant for beginners.
    — Lindsay Cohn, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The rock climbing section offers 10 lanes of varying heights, with plenty of handholds and footholds for beginners.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of beginners

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Cite this Entry

“Hackers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hackers. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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