Meaning of hack in English

1. Pronunciation

   /hæk/

   US accent

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   UK accent

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1. Verb

   hack

   Etymology

   Old English haccian ‘cut in pieces’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch hakken and German hacken

   Definitions

   1. cut with a hacking tool
2. 2. informal: be able to manage or manage successfully

   Examples

   • « I can't hack it anymore »
   • « she could not cut the long days in the office »
3. 3. cut away

   Examples

   • « he hacked with way through the forest »
4. 4. kick on the arms
5. 5. kick on the shins
6. 6. fix a computer program piecemeal until it works

   Examples

   • « I'm not very good at hacking but I'll give it my best »
7. 7. significantly cut up a manuscript
8. 8. cough spasmodically

   Examples

   • « The patient with emphysema is hacking all day »

9. Noun

   hack

   Etymology

   Middle English (in hack (sense 2 of the noun)): abbreviation of hackney. hack (sense 1 of the noun) dates from the late 17th century

   Definitions

   1. one who works hard at boring tasks
10. 2. a politician who belongs to a small clique that controls a political party for private rather than public ends
11. 3. a mediocre and disdained writer
12. 4. a tool (as a hoe or pick or mattock) used for hacking the soil
13. 5. a car driven by a person whose job is to take passengers where they want to go in exchange for money
14. 6. an old or over-worked horse
15. 7. a horse kept for hire
16. 8. a saddle horse used for transportation rather than sport etc.