hack

To enter a computer system without permission, or change software in clever, unusual ways.

• Someone hacked my account.
• They hacked into the server last night.
• She hacked the software to add a new feature.

How to use it: hack into something (Someone hacked into the company network.)

Common phrases: hack into something, hack an account, hack a computer

To cut something roughly with strong, repeated blows.

• He hacked at the wood.
• She hacked a path through the bushes.
• They hacked off the dead branches.

How to use it: hack at something (She hacked at the thick branches.); hack through something (They hacked through the bushes.)

Similar words: chop, slash

Common phrases: hack at something, hack something off, hack through something

To make something easier or better by using clever tricks or unusual methods.

• Try to hack your morning routine.
• She hacked her study habits with simple timers.
• These tips help you hack your workday.

Similar words: optimize

Common phrases: hack your routine, hack your sleep, hack your life

To manage a difficult situation or deal with its demands.

• I cannot hack this pressure.
• She left because she could not hack it.
• Can you hack life on a busy farm?

Similar words: cope, manage

Common phrases: hack it, hack the pressure

A clever trick or easy method that saves time or makes something simpler.

• This kitchen hack saves time.
• She shared a hack for folding shirts.
• Have you tried any of these cleaning hacks?

Similar words: tip, trick, shortcut

Common phrases: life hack, cleaning hack, kitchen hack

An unauthorized entry into a computer system, or a tool that gives hidden access to software.

• The hack exposed customer passwords.
• He used a hack to unlock the game characters.
• Several accounts were damaged in the hack.

Similar words: breach

Common phrases: a computer hack, a game hack, a network hack

A quickly made device or solution that works, although it may be rough or temporary.

• This hack keeps the door shut.
• We built a hack from spare parts.
• The software works, but the repair is a messy hack.

Similar words: workaround, quick fix

Common phrases: a quick hack, a temporary hack, a clever hack

Someone who produces ordinary or poor work, often just to earn money.

• That writer is a hack.
• Critics dismissed the painter as a hack.
• The paper employs several hacks who recycle old stories.

Common phrases: a political hack, a literary hack, a newspaper hack