Adjacent Words

Hack definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HACK, v.t.
1. To cut irregularly and into small pieces; to notch; to mangle by repeated strokes of a cutting instrument.
2. To speak with stops or catches; to speak with hesitation.
HACK, n. A notch; a cut.
HACK, n. A horse kept for hire; a horse much used in draught, or in hard service; any thing exposed to hire, or used in common. [from hackney.]
1. A coach or other carriage kept for hire. [from hackney.]
2. Hesitating or faltering speech.
3. A rack for feeding cattle.
HACK, a. Hired.
HACK, v.i. To be exposed or offered to common use for hire; to turn prostitute.
1. To make an effort to raise phlegm. [See Hawk.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: one who works hard at boring tasks [syn: hack, drudge, hacker]
2: a politician who belongs to a small clique that controls a political party for private rather than public ends [syn: machine politician, ward-heeler, political hack, hack]
3: a mediocre and disdained writer [syn: hack, hack writer, literary hack]
4: a tool (as a hoe or pick or mattock) used for breaking up the surface of the soil
5: a car driven by a person whose job is to take passengers where they want to go in exchange for money [syn: cab, hack, taxi, taxicab]
6: an old or over-worked horse [syn: hack, jade, nag, plug]
7: a horse kept for hire
8: a saddle horse used for transportation rather than sport etc. v
1: cut with a hacking tool [syn: chop, hack]
2: be able to manage or manage successfully; "I can't hack it anymore"; "she could not cut the long days in the office" [syn: hack, cut]
3: cut away; "he hacked his way through the forest"
4: kick on the arms
5: kick on the shins
6: fix a computer program piecemeal until it works; "I'm not very good at hacking but I'll give it my best" [syn: hack, hack on]
7: significantly cut up a manuscript [syn: hack, cut up]
8: cough spasmodically; "The patient with emphysema is hacking all day" [syn: hack, whoop]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English hakken, from Old English -haccian; akin to Old High German hacch?n to hack, Old English h?c hook Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. a. to cut or sever with repeated irregular or unskillful blows b. to cut or shape by or as if by crude or ruthless strokes <hacking out new election districts> c. annoy, vex — often used with off 2. to clear or make by or as if by cutting away vegetation <hacked his way through the brush> 3. a. to manage successfully <just couldn't hack the new job> b. tolerate <I can't hack all this noise> intransitive verb 1. a. to make chopping strokes or blows <hacked at the weeds>; also to make cuts as if by chopping <hacking away at the work force> b. to play inexpert golf 2. to cough in a short dry manner 3. loaf — usually used with around 4. a. to write computer programs for enjoyment b. to gain access to a computer illegally II. noun Date: 14th century 1. an implement for hacking 2. nick, notch 3. a short dry cough 4. a hacking stroke or blow 5. restriction to quarters as punishment for naval officers — usually used in the phrase under hack 6. a usually creative solution to a computer hardware or programming problem or limitation III. noun Etymology: short for hackney Date: 1672 1. a. hackney b. (1) taxicab (2) cabdriver 2. a. (1) a horse let out for common hire (2) a horse used in all kinds of work b. a horse worn out in service ; jade c. a light easy saddle horse; especially a three-gaited saddle horse d. a ride on a horse 3. a. a person who works solely for mercenary reasons ; hireling <party hacks> b. a writer who works on order; also a writer who aims solely for commercial success c. hacker 2 IV. adjective Date: circa 1734 1. working for hire especially with mediocre professional standards <a hack journalist> 2. performed by, suited to, or characteristic of a hack <hack writing> 3. hackneyed, trite V. verb Date: 1857 intransitive verb 1. to ride or drive at an ordinary pace or over the roads especially as distinguished from racing or hunting 2. to operate a taxicab transitive verb to ride (a horse) at an ordinary pace VI. transitive verb Etymology: hack, noun, board on which a hawk is fed, state of partial liberty, probably alteration of Middle English hache, heche, heck lower door, hatch Date: 1883 to rear (a young hawk) in a state of partial liberty especially prior to the acquisition of flight and hunting capabilities VII. noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: circa 1914 slang a guard especially at a prison

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. & n. --v. 1 tr. cut or chop roughly; mangle. 2 tr. kick the shin of (an opponent at football). 3 intr. (often foll. by at) deliver cutting blows. 4 tr. cut (one's way) through thick foliage etc. 5 tr. colloq. gain unauthorized access to (data in a computer). 6 tr. sl. a manage, cope with. b tolerate. --n. 1 a kick with the toe of a boot. 2 a gash or wound, esp. from a kick. 3 a a mattock. b a miner's pick. Phrases and idioms: hacking cough a short dry frequent cough. Etymology: OE haccian cut in pieces f. WG 2. n., adj., & v. --n. 1 a a horse for ordinary riding. b a horse let out for hire. c = JADE(2) 1. 2 a dull, uninspired writer. 3 a person hired to do dull routine work. 4 US a taxi. --attrib.adj. 1 used as a hack. 2 typical of a hack; commonplace (hack work). --v. 1 a intr. ride on horseback on a road at an ordinary pace. b tr. ride (a horse) in this way. 2 tr. make common or trite. Etymology: abbr. of HACKNEY 3. n. 1 a board on which a hawk's meat is laid. 2 a rack holding fodder for cattle. Phrases and idioms: at hack (of a young hawk) not yet allowed to prey for itself. Etymology: var. of HATCH(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, v. i. To ride or drive as one does with a hack horse; to ride at an ordinary pace, or over the roads, as distinguished from riding across country or in military fashion.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, v. t. (Football) To kick the shins of (an opposing payer).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, n. (Football) A kick on the shins, or a cut from a kick.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, n. [See Hatch a half door.] 1. A frame or grating of various kinds; as, a frame for drying bricks, fish, or cheese; a rack for feeding cattle; a grating in a mill race, etc. 2. Unburned brick or tile, stacked up for drying.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Hacking.] [OE. hakken; akin to D. hakken, G. hacken, Dan. hakke, Sw. hacka, and perh. to E. hew. Cf. Hew to cut, Haggle.] 1. To cut irregulary, without skill or definite purpose; to notch; to mangle by repeated strokes of a cutting instrument; as, to hack a post. My sword hacked like a handsaw. --Shak. 2. Fig.: To mangle in speaking. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, a. Hackneyed; hired; mercenary. --Wakefield. Hack writer, a hack; one who writes for hire. ``A vulgar hack writer.'' --Macaulay.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, v. t. 1. To use as a hack; to let out for hire. 2. To use frequently and indiscriminately, so as to render trite and commonplace.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, v. i. 1. To be exposed or offered or to common use for hire; to turn prostitute. --Hanmer. 2. To live the life of a drudge or hack. --Goldsmith.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, v. i. To cough faintly and frequently, or in a short, broken manner; as, a hacking cough.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, n. 1. A notch; a cut. --Shak. 2. An implement for cutting a notch; a large pick used in breaking stone. 3. A hacking; a catch in speaking; a short, broken cough. --Dr. H. More. 4. (Football) A kick on the shins. --T. Hughes. Hack saw, a handsaw having a narrow blade stretched in an iron frame, for cutting metal.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hack Hack, n. [Shortened fr. hackney. See Hackney.] 1. A horse, hackneyed or let out for common hire; also, a horse used in all kinds of work, or a saddle horse, as distinguished from hunting and carriage horses. 2. A coach or carriage let for hire; particularly, a a coach with two seats inside facing each other; a hackney coach. On horse, on foot, in hacks and gilded chariots. --Pope. 3. A bookmaker who hires himself out for any sort of literary work; an overworked man; a drudge. Here lies poor Ned Purdon, from misery freed, Who long was a bookseller's hack. --Goldsmith. 4. A procuress.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Heck Heck, n. [See Hatch a half door.] [Written also hack.] 1. The bolt or latch of a door. [Prov. Eng.] 2. A rack for cattle to feed at. [Prov. Eng.] 3. A door, especially one partly of latticework; -- called also heck door. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell. 4. A latticework contrivance for catching fish. 5. (Weaving) An apparatus for separating the threads of warps into sets, as they are wound upon the reel from the bobbins, in a warping machine. 6. A bend or winding of a stream. [Prov. Eng.] Half heck, the lower half of a door. Heck board, the loose board at the bottom or back of a cart. Heck box or frame, that which carries the heck in warping.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(hacks, hacking, hacked) 1. If you hack something or hack at it, you cut it with strong, rough strokes using a sharp tool such as an axe or knife. An armed gang barged onto the train and began hacking and shooting anyone in sight... Some were hacked to death with machetes... Matthew desperately hacked through the leather. VERB: V n, be V-ed prep/adv, V prep 2. If you hack your way through an area such as a jungle or hack a path through it, you move forward, cutting back the trees or plants that are in your way. We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. VERB: V n prep/adv 3. If you hack at or hack something which is too large, too long, or too expensive, you reduce its size, length, or cost by cutting out or getting rid of large parts of it. He hacked away at the story, eliminating one character entirely. VERB: V adv/prep, also V n 4. If you refer to a professional writer, such as a journalist, as a hack, you disapprove of them because they write for money without worrying very much about the quality of their writing. ...tabloid hacks, always eager to find victims in order to sell newspapers. N-COUNT [disapproval] 5. If you refer to a politician as a hack, you disapprove of them because they are too loyal to their party and perhaps do not deserve the position they have. Far too many party hacks from the old days still hold influential jobs. N-COUNT: oft supp N [disapproval] 6. If someone hacks into a computer system, they break into the system, especially in order to get secret information. The saboteurs had demanded money in return for revealing how they hacked into the systems. VERB: V into n • hacking ...the common and often illegal art of computer hacking. N-UNCOUNT 7. If you say that someone can't hack it or couldn't hack it, you mean that they do not or did not have the qualities needed to do a task or cope with a situation. (INFORMAL) You have to be strong and confident and never give the slightest impression that you can't hack it... PHRASE 8. see also hacking

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Cut (clumsily), hew, chop, mangle, hackle, haggle. II. n. 1. Notch, cut. 2. Hired horse, worn-out horse. 3. Drudge, over-worked man. III. a. Hired, mercenary, hireling, hackney.

Moby Thesaurus

Aqua-Lung, Jehu, Sunday driver, amble, amputate, antiquated, artificial respiration, aspiration, asthmatic wheeze, autobus, ax, backseat driver, balker, balky horse, banal, bark, batter, beast of burden, bidet, birthmark, bisect, blaze, blemish, blotch, blow, brand, breath, breath of air, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, breathing, broken wind, bullwhacker, bus, bus driver, busman, butcher, cab, cabby, cabdriver, cabman, cameleer, canter, caracole, carriage horse, cart horse, carter, cartman, carve, caste mark, cavalry horse, charioteer, chartered bus, chauffeur, check, checkmark, chop, cicatrix, cleave, cleft, cliche, cliched, coachman, coachy, cocher, cochero, common, commonplace, cough, crena, crock, crowbait, curvet, cut, cut away, cut in two, cut off, damage, dapple, declasse, deface, depression, destroy, dichotomize, diligence, discoloration, dissever, dog, dot, double-decker, draft horse, dray horse, drayman, driver, driving horse, drudge, dull, earmark, elephant driver, engraving, excise, exhalation, exhale, exhaust, expel, expiration, expire, exsufflation, fag, fell, fill horse, filler, fissure, fleck, flick, freckle, frisk, galley slave, gallop, garron, gash, gasp, gharry-wallah, gigster, go on horseback, goat, graving, greasy grind, grind, grub, grubber, gulp, hackdriver, hackle, hackman, hackney, hackneyed, hacky, haggle, halve, harness racer, hew, hiccup, hired car, hireling, hit-and-run driver, huff, humdrum, hunter, incise, incision, inconsequential, indentation, inhalation, inhalator, inhale, inspiration, inspire, insufflation, iron lung, jade, jag, jigsaw, jitney, jitney driver, jog, joggle, jot, joyrider, jughead, jument, kerf, lacerate, lackey, lance, lead, leader, lentigo, literary hack, lope, low-grade, machine, macula, mahout, mail coach, mangle, mark, marking, mean, mediocre, menial, mercenary, mole, moth-eaten, motor coach, motorbus, motorist, mottle, mouldy, mount, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, mule skinner, muleteer, mutilate, nag, nevus, nick, nock, notch, old, old hat, omnibus, ordinary, outmoded, outworn, overdone, overworked, oxygen mask, oxygen tent, pace, pack horse, palfrey, pant, pare, party hack, patch, peanut politician, penny-a-liner, petty, piaffe, plodder, plow horse, plug, point, pole horse, political dabbler, politicaster, polka dot, polo pony, poor, post coach, post-horse, potboiler, prance, prick, prune, puff, puncture, reinsman, remount, rend, respiration, respire, ride bareback, ride hard, rider, riding horse, rive, road hog, road horse, roadster, roarer, rogue, rosinante, rouncy, routine, ruin, run-of-the-mill, saddle horse, saddler, saw, scalawag, scar, scarification, scissor, score, scotch, scratch, scratching, scribbler, scuba, second-class, second-rate, servant, sever, shaft horse, sigh, skinner, slash, slave, slavey, slice, slit, slogger, smash, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snip, snore, snoring, snort, snuff, snuffle, speck, speckle, speeder, splash, split, splotch, spot, stage, stage coachman, stagecoach, stain, stale, stalking-horse, statemonger, stereotyped, sternutation, stertor, stiff, stigma, stock, strawberry mark, sumpter, sumpter horse, sunder, suspiration, swot, take horse, tattoo, tattoo mark, taxi, taxicab, taxidriver, teamster, tear, tedious, thill horse, thiller, tick, timeworn, tired, tittle, tittup, toiler, trite, trivial, trot, truck driver, trucker, truckman, unoriginal, usual, vetturino, voiturier, wagoner, wagonman, watermark, well-worn, wheeler, wheelhorse, wheeze, whip, whistler, whittle, wind, workhorse