Definition of "hacker"
hacker1
noun
plural hackers
One who cuts with heavy or rough blows.
Quotations
[O]ne good hacker, being a luſty labourer, vvill at good eaſe hacke or cut more then halfe an Acre of ground in a day; […]
1625, Gervase Markham, “Of the Ordering, Tilling, and Dressing of All Sorts of Plaine Barren Clayes, whether They be Simple or Compounded”, in Markhams Farwell to Husbandry or, The Inriching of All Sorts of Barren and Sterile Grounds in Our Kingdome, […], revised edition, London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for Roger Iackson, […], page 5
In January or February the "hacker," with his keen-bladed ax, begins the round which ends the season. […] His task is to cut the "boxes" in which the thick gum of the wounded tree will collect. A box is a wide incision about six inches deep, a wedge shaped cut in the tree, […] About a quart of sap is taken from each box by means of the trowel-shaped scoop used by the dipper, and then the hacker comes along and starts the flow afresh by wounding the tree again.
1895 January 18, Chicago Record, quotee, “Making turpentine: An extensive industry in certain southern states”, in Edward D. Baldwin, editor, The Newton Graphic, volume XXIII, number 14, Newton, Mass.: Edward D. Baldwin, page 5, column 4
(computer security, telecommunications) One who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data stored in, or to carry out malicious attacks on, computer networks or computer systems.
Quotations
I'm a computer crook, the Willie Sutton of hackers. I break into computer systems for fun—and profit. To me, the Apple is the forbidden fruit.
1986 April, Curtis Slepian, “The April Papers”, in R. Wayne Schmittberger, editor, Games, volume 10, number 4 (number 74 overall), New York, N.Y.: Playboy Enterprises, page 15
Typically, one hacker will annoy another; the offended party replies by launching a denial-of-service attack against the offender.
2007, “Category 5—Illustrative Crosscutting Problem-focused Research Areas”, in Seymour E. Goodman, Herbert S. Lin, editors, Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace, Washington, D.C.: Committee on Improving Cybersecurity Research in the United States, National Research Council, part II (An Illustrative Research Agenda), page 205
(by extension, video games, slang) Someone who cheats or gains an unfair advantage in a video game by means of a disallowed modification to the game.
Quotations
Cheaters continue to plague Fortnite, as Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins and Jack 'CouRage' Dunlop have run into a hacker using fly-mode and aimbot, completely destroying and leaving both popular streamers speechless.
2022 January 11, Samed Kadirogullari, “Fortnite’s Flying Hackers Leave Ninja & CouRage Speechless”, in Screen Rant, archived from the original on 2022-01-11
The server is certainly not for everyone. Gamers need to be prepared to deal with many hackers, trolls, and griefers. However, those looking for a unique Minecraft experience might just find it on 2b2t.
2022 March 9, Edward Hays, “10 best Minecraft servers to play in 2022”, in Sportskeeda, archived from the original on 2022-12-05
While a patch was rolled out that's given Diamond, Master, and Predator competitors protection against DDoSing, players still want Respawn to do more about the abundance of hackers.
2023 January 30, Alex Garton, “Apex Legends Dev Confirms Even More Anti-cheat Improvements Coming in Season 16”, in Dexerto, archived from the original on 2023-01-30
(computing, dated) One who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer.
Quotations
The Electrical Engineering Department, J. McKenzie in particular, for allowing me to use the PDP-1 computer to do the extensive computations, draw graphs, and even type this thesis. In this connection Charles Landau did some of the programming, Luella Thompson did most of the typing, and W. B. Ackermann helped when the machine would not cooperate. Many other computer hackers also willingly offered advice.
1968 September, Rory [Jack] Thompson, Louis N[orberg] Howard, thesis supervisor, “Acknowledgments”, in Instabilities of Some Time-dependent Flows (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation), Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, archived from the original on 2015-09-23, page 107
A hacker starts with nothing but a dream and a floppy disk and presently finds himself in a business that's doubled and trebled. Three "diskzines" – magazines on floppy disks – started cheaply by entrepreneurs who placed ads in obscure computer journals […]
1984, Venture: For Entrepreneurial Business Owners and Investors, volume 6, part 1, New York, N.Y.: Venture Magazine, page 142
While most hackers are people who simply love playing with computers and who break security measures in a network only for fun or to point out flaws, there is a malicious subset of hackers known as "crackers," who intrude on computer networks to cause damage, commit fraud, or steal data.
1995 May 22, Joe Chidley, “Cracking the Net”, in Maclean’s, volume 108, Toronto, Ont.: Maclean-Hunter Publishing, pages 54–56; quoted in “Bibliography”, in Suzanne Elizabeth Kender, editor, Crime in America (The Reference Shelf; volume 68, number 5), New York, N.Y.: H[alsey] W[illiam] Wilson Company, 1996, page 197
Something that hacks; a device or tool for hacking; specifically, an axe used for cutting tree branches or wood.
Quotations
Thomas Limbrick, who was only nine years of age, said he lived with his mother when Deborah was beat: that his mother throwed her down all along with her hands; and then against a wall, and kicked her in the belly: that afterwards she picked her up, and beat her with the hacker on the side of the head; wiped the blood off with a dish-clout, and took her up to bed after she was dead.
1825, Andrew Knapp, William Baldwin, “Hannah Limbrick, Executed for Murder”, in The Newgate Calendar; […], volume III, London: J. Robins and Co., […], page 231, column 1
When the dipping is thus over, the next work is to "chip" or scarify the tree immediately over the box, […] This is done by an instrument usually called a "hacker," sometimes "shave." Its form is somewhat like a "round shave," narrowing at the cutting place to the diameter of an inch, with a shank, to be fixed securely into a strong, heavy handle of about two feet in length, while the faces of the trees are low, but the handle is made longer as years advance the faces higher.
1846 July, John Macleod, “The Tar and Turpentine Business of North Carolina”, in John S. Skinner, editor, The Monthly Journal of Agriculture, […], volume II, number 1, New York, N.Y.: Greeley & McElrath, […], published 1847, page 15
George C. Howard, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. / grindstone hacker. / Report.—Commended for the contrivance of an instrument, called a "hacker," that is used in trimming grindstones. This hacker turns with the stone, and is drawn across in a slide rest, and fulfills its important function satisfactorily.
1877, “Reports on Awards. Group XXI. [Machine Tools,—Wood, Metal, and Stone.]”, in Francis A[masa] Walker, editor, United States Centennial Commission. International Exhibition, 1876. Reports and Awards. Group XXI, Philadelphia, Pa.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott & Co., paragraph 23, page 13
(Britain, regional) A fork-shaped tool used to harvest root vegetables.
Quotations
The upper half of each swede-turnip had been eaten off by the live-stock, and it was the business of the two women to grab up the lower or earthy half of the root with a hooked fork called a hacker, that it might be eaten also.
1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter XLIII, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume III, London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], phase the fifth (The Woman Pays), page 44
Hack. […] To loosen the earth round potatoes, preparatory to earthing them up. This is done with a ‘tater-hacker,’ an old three-grained garden-fork, which by bending down the tines or ‘grains’ at right angles to the handle has been converted into something resembling a rake, but used as a hoe.
1893, George Edward Dartnell, Edward Hungerford Goddard, “Hack”, in A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Wiltshire, London: […] [F]or the English Dialect Society by Henry Frowde, […], page 72
hacker2
noun
plural hackers
(US, road transport) One who operates a taxicab; a cabdriver.
Quotations
Start runnin' for a streetcar and they open up with machine guns and bump two pedestrians, a hacker asleep in his cab, and an old scrubwoman on the second floor workin' a mop. And they miss the guy they're after.
1938 January, Raymond Chandler, “Red Wind. Chapter 3.”, in Trouble is My Business, New York, N.Y.: Pocket Books, published May 1965, page 173
Washington Hacker Charles A. Culp and his pet macaw parrot, Capt. Bligh, ran afoul of the law when a policeman charged Culp with failure to give full time and attention to driving, because he was tickling Capt. Bligh who has a perch in the cab.
1965 January 24, “Bird costs cabbie $10”, in The Hartford Courant, daily edition, number CXXVIII, Hartford, Conn.: The Hartford Courant Company, page 4A, columns 4–5
"That's Brooklyn," the hacker said, his tone accusing. "I don't go to Brooklyn, mister. Anyways, I'm due at the garage." Nathan Shapiro is usually gentle with cab drivers. He was not, this hot afternoon of a fruitless day—and a day which was supposed to have been an off-duty day—Shapiro felt no gentleness.
1972, Richard Lockridge, chapter 11, in Write Murder Down, Philadelphia, Pa., New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, page 129
hacker3
verb
third-person singular simple present hackers, present participle hackering, simple past and past participle hackered
(intransitive, chiefly Britain, dialectal, archaic) To speak with a spasmodic repetition of vocal sounds; to stammer, to stutter; also, to mumble and procrastinate in one's speech; to hem and haw.
Quotations
The interrupting of the Miniſter by the Clark, and the vvhole congregation, vvhen he readeth the Pſalms, by taking every other verſe out of his mouth, vvith an hackering confuſed noiſe, eſpecially in countrey Churches, vvhere the people cannot read vvell.An adjective use.
1642, Lewes Hughes, “The Errors and Ungodliness of the Service Displaid and Laid Open, by Way of a Dialogue between a Countrey Gentleman, and a Minister of Gods Word”, in Certain Grievances, or The Popish Errors and Ungodlinesse of the Service-book; T. P., page 13
Stammering, hackering—and so forth; it's shameful to relate! A soldier should be sound, brave, firm, decisive, true, honourable!
1810, Alexander Vassiliavitch Suvorof, “Appendix No. II. Field Marshal Court Alexander Vassiliavitch Suvorof’s ‘Discourse under the Trigger;’ […]”, in Edward Daniel Clarke, Travels in Various Countries of Europe Asia and Africa, 1st part (Russia Tartary and Turkey), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] University Press by R. Watts for T[homas] Cadell and W[illiam] Davies […], page 709
[M]y noble patron has my habit of hackering so completely that he scarcely speaks three words without two stops; but when we get at his meaning it is better than any one's.
1814 June 18 (date written), Mary Russell Mitford, “To Mrs. Mitford, Bertram House”, in A. G. K. L’Estrange, editor, The Life of Mary Russell Mitford, […] Told by Herself in Letters to Her Friends. […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], published 1870, page 214
Since the new marriage act, we, who belong to country magistrates, have gained a priority over the rest of the parish in matrimonial news. […] Many a blushing awkward pair hath our litle lame clerk (a sorry Cupid!) ushered in between dark and light to stammer and hacker, to bow and curtsy, to sign or make a mark, as it pleases Heaven.
1824, Mary Russell Mitford, “Hannah”, in Our Village: Sketches of Rural Character and Scenery, volume I, London: G[eorge Byrom] and W. B. Whittaker, […], page 22
[P]oor Adams became flustered, and hackered and stammered, as if in the way of imitating the Westminster Ciceros.
1825 March 9, William Cobbett, “To the Electors of Westminster. On the Speech of Sir Francis Burdett, of the 1st March 1825, when He Presented the Petition of the Catholics of Ireland.”, in William Cobbett, editor, Cobbett’s Weekly Political Register, volume 53, number 11, London: […] C[harles Robert] Clement, […], published 12 March 1825, column 643
Certainly, some folks said that he was a born fool, and that he said so few words because he hackered and stammered so awfully. But that, belike, was only jealousy.
1891, J[ohn] C[hristopher] Atkinson, “How Little Jack Came to be Called the Wolf-queller”, in The Last of the Giant Killers: Or The Exploits of Sir Jack of Danby Dale, London, New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., page 52
He hackered an' stammered leyke an au'd ganthert chooakin wi bran.
1892, M[armaduke] C[harles] F[rederick] Morris, “Specimens of the Folk-talk”, in Yorkshire Folk-talk with Characteristics of Those who Speak It in the North and East Ridings, London: Henry Frowde, […]; York, Yorkshire: John Sampson, page 122
"Ha," they hollowly hackered, / "You come, forsooth, / "By stealth to obliterate / Our graven worth, our chronicle, our date, / That our descendant may not gild the record / Of our past state, […]"
1914, Thomas Hardy, “[Miscellaneous Pieces.] The Obliterate Tomb.”, in Satires of Circumstance: Lyrics and Reveries with Miscellaneous Pieces, London: Macmillan and Co., […], page 179