Hack vs. Hijack

Hackverb

(transitive) To chop or cut down in a rough manner.

‘They hacked the brush down and made their way through the jungle.’;

Hijackverb

To forcibly stop and seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).

Hackverb

(intransitive) To cough noisily.

‘This cold is awful. I can't stop hacking.’;

Hijackverb

To seize control of some process or resource to achieve a purpose other than its originally intended one.

Hackverb

To withstand or put up with a difficult situation.

‘Can you hack it out here with no electricity or running water?’;

Hijackverb

(computing) To seize control of a networked computer by means of infecting it with a worm or other malware, thereby turning it into a zombie.

Hackverb

(computing) To make a quick code change to patch a computer program, often one that, while being effective, is inelegant or makes the program harder to maintain.

‘I hacked in a fix for this bug, but we'll still have to do a real fix later.’;

Hijackverb

(computing) To change software settings without a user's knowledge so as to force that user to visit a certain web site (to hijack a browser).

Hackverb

(computing) To accomplish a difficult programming task.

‘He can hack like no one else and make the program work as expected.’;

Hijackverb

(politics) To introduce an amendment deleting the contents of a bill and inserting entirely new provisions.

Hackverb

To work with something on an intimately technical level.

‘I'm currently hacking distributed garbage collection.’;

Hijacknoun

An instance of hijacking; the illegal seizure of a vehicle; a hijacking.

Hackverb

To apply a trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method to something to increase productivity, efficiency or ease.

‘I read up on dating tips so I can hack my sex life.’;

Hijacknoun

An instance of a seizure and redirection of a process.

Hackverb

To hack into; to gain unauthorized access to (a computer system, e.g., a website, or network) by manipulating code; to crack.

Hijacknoun

(politics) An amendment which deletes the contents of a bill and inserts entirely new provisions.

Hackverb

By extension, to gain unauthorised access to a computer or online account belonging to (a person or organisation).

‘When I logged into the social network, I discovered I'd been hacked.’;

Hijacknoun

(poker slang) Preflop, the position two before the dealer.

Hackverb

(ice hockey) To strike an opponent's leg with one's hockey stick.

‘He's going to the penalty box after hacking the defender in front of the goal.’;

Hijacknoun

seizure of a vehicle in transit either to rob it or divert it to an alternate destination

Hackverb

(ice hockey) To make a flailing attempt to hit the puck with a hockey stick.

‘There's a scramble in front of the net as the forwards are hacking at the bouncing puck.’;

Hijackverb

take arbitrarily or by force;

‘The Cubans commandeered the plane and flew it to Miami’;

Hackverb

(baseball) To swing at a pitched ball.

‘He went to the batter's box hacking.’;

Hackverb

(soccer and rugby) To kick (a player) on the shins.

Hackverb

To strike in a frantic movement.

Hackverb

(transitive) To strike lightly as part of tapotement massage.

Hackverb

To lay (bricks) on a rack to dry.

Hackverb

(falconry) To keep (young hawks) in a state of partial freedom, before they are trained.

Hackverb

(dated) To make common or cliched; to vulgarise.

Hackverb

To ride a horse at a regular pace; to ride on a road (as opposed to riding cross-country etc.).

Hackverb

(obsolete) To be exposed or offered or to common use for hire; to turn prostitute.

Hackverb

(obsolete) To live the life of a drudge or hack.

Hackverb

To use as a hack; to let out for hire.

Hackverb

To use frequently and indiscriminately, so as to render trite and commonplace.

Hackverb

To play hackeysack.

Hacknoun

A tool for chopping.

Hacknoun

A hacking blow.

Hacknoun

A gouge or notch made by such a blow.

Hacknoun

A dry cough.

Hacknoun

A hacking; a catch in speaking; a short, broken cough.

Hacknoun

(figuratively) A try, an attempt.

Hacknoun

(curling) The foothold traditionally cut into the ice from which the person who throws the rock pushes off for delivery.

Hacknoun

(obsolete) A mattock or a miner's pickaxe.

Hacknoun

(computing) An expedient, temporary solution, such as a small patch or change to code, meant to be replaced with a more elegant solution at a later date.

Hacknoun

(computing) An interesting technical achievement, particularly in computer programming.

Hacknoun

(colloquial) A trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method to increase productivity, efficiency or ease.

‘Putting your phone in a sandwich bag when you go to the beach is such a great hack.’;

Hacknoun

An illegal attempt to gain access to a computer network.

Hacknoun

A video game or any computer software that has been altered from its original state.

Hacknoun

Time check.

Hacknoun

(baseball) A swing of the bat at a pitched ball by the batter.

‘He took a few hacks, but the pitcher finally struck him out.’;

Hacknoun

A kick on the shins in football.

Hacknoun

confinement of an officer to their stateroom as a punishment

Hacknoun

(falconry) A board which the falcon's food is placed on; used by extension for the state of partial freedom in which they are kept before being trained.

Hacknoun

A food-rack for cattle.

Hacknoun

A rack used to dry something, such as bricks, fish, or cheese.

Hacknoun

A grating in a mill race.

Hacknoun

A horse for hire, especially one which is old and tired.

Hacknoun

A person, often a journalist, hired to do routine work.

‘I got by on hack work for years before I finally published my novel.’;

Hacknoun

(pejorative) Someone who is available for hire; hireling, mercenary.

Hacknoun

(slang) A taxicab (hackney cab) driver.

Hacknoun

A vehicle let for hire; originally, a hackney coach, now typically a taxicab.

Hacknoun

A hearse.

Hacknoun

An untalented writer.

‘Dason is nothing but a two-bit hack.’; ‘He's nothing but the typical hack writer.’;

Hacknoun

(pejorative) One who is professionally successful despite producing mediocre work. (Usually applied to persons in a creative field.)

Hacknoun

(pejorative) A talented writer-for-hire, paid to put others' thoughts into felicitous language.

Hacknoun

(politics) A political agitator. (slightly derogatory)

Hacknoun

(obsolete) A writer who hires himself out for any sort of literary work; an overworked man; a drudge.

Hacknoun

(obsolete) A procuress.

Hacknoun

A small ball usually made of woven cotton or suede and filled with rice, sand or some other filler, for use in hackeysack.

Hacknoun

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.

Hacknoun

Unburned brick or tile, stacked up for drying.

Hacknoun

A notch; a cut.

Hacknoun

An implement for cutting a notch; a large pick used in breaking stone.

Hacknoun

A hacking; a catch in speaking; a short, broken cough.

Hacknoun

A kick on the shins, or a cut from a kick.

Hacknoun

A clever computer program or routine within a program to accomplish an objective in a non-obvious fashion.

Hacknoun

A quick and inelegant, though functional solution to a programming problem.

Hacknoun

A taxicab.

Hacknoun

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.

Hacknoun

A coach or carriage let for hire; a hackney coach; formerly, a coach with two seats inside facing each other; now, usually a taxicab.

‘On horse, on foot, in hacks and gilded chariots.’;

Hacknoun

The driver of a hack; a taxi driver; a hackman.

Hacknoun

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.’;

Hacknoun

A procuress.

Hackverb

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.’;

Hackverb

Fig.: To mangle in speaking.

Hackverb

To program (a computer) for pleasure or compulsively; especially, to try to defeat the security systems and gain unauthorized access to a computer.

Hackverb

To bear, physically or emotionally; as, he left the job because he couldn't hack the pressure.

Hackverb

To kick the shins of (an opposing payer).

Hackverb

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

Hackverb

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.

Hackverb

To use as a hack; to let out for hire.

Hackverb

To use frequently and indiscriminately, so as to render trite and commonplace.

‘The word "remarkable" has been so hacked of late.’;

Hackverb

To be exposed or offered to common use for hire; to turn prostitute.

Hackverb

To live the life of a drudge or hack.

Hackadjective

Hackneyed; hired; mercenary.

Hacknoun

one who works hard at boring tasks

Hacknoun

a politician who belongs to a small clique that controls a political party for private rather than public ends

Hacknoun

a mediocre and disdained writer

Hacknoun

a tool (as a hoe or pick or mattock) used for hacking the soil

Hacknoun

a car driven by a person whose job is to take passengers where they want to go in exchange for money

Hacknoun

an old or over-worked horse

Hacknoun

a horse kept for hire

Hacknoun

a saddle horse used for transportation rather than sport etc.

Hackverb

cut with a hacking tool

Hackverb

informal: be able to manage or manage successfully;

‘I can't hack it anymore’; ‘she could not cut the long days in the office’;

Hackverb

cut away;

‘he hacked with way through the forest’;

Hackverb

kick on the arms

Hackverb

kick on the shins

Hackverb

fix a computer program piecemeal until it works;

‘I'm not very good at hacking but I'll give it my best’;

Hackverb

significantly cut up a manuscript

Hackverb

cough spasmodically;

‘The patient with emphysema is hacking all day’;

Hackverb

cut with rough or heavy blows

‘men hack at the coalface’; ‘I watched them hack the branches’;

Hackverb

kick wildly or roughly

‘he had to race from his line to hack the ball into the stand’;

Hackverb

gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer

‘they hacked into the bank's computer’; ‘someone hacked his computer from another location’;

Hackverb

program quickly and roughly.

Hackverb

cough persistently

‘I was waking up in the middle of the night and coughing and hacking for hours’;

Hackverb

manage; cope

‘lots of people leave because they can't hack it’;

Hackverb

ride a horse for pleasure or exercise

‘some gentle hacking in a scenic setting’;

Hacknoun

a rough cut, blow, or stroke

‘he was sure one of us was going to take a hack at him’;

Hacknoun

(in sport) a kick or a stroke with a stick inflicted on another player.

Hacknoun

a notch cut in the ice, or a peg inserted, to steady the foot when delivering a stone in curling.

Hacknoun

a tool for rough striking or cutting, e.g. a mattock or a miner's pick.

Hacknoun

a gash or wound.

Hacknoun

an act of computer hacking

‘the challenge of the hack itself’;

Hacknoun

a piece of computer code providing a quick or inelegant solution to a particular problem

‘this hack doesn't work on machines that have a firewall’;

Hacknoun

a strategy or technique for managing one's time or activities more efficiently

‘another hack that will save time is to cover your side mirrors with a plastic bag when freezing rain is forecast’;

Hacknoun

a writer or journalist producing dull, unoriginal work

‘Sunday newspaper hacks earn their livings on such gullibilities’;

Hacknoun

a person who does dull routine work.

Hacknoun

a horse for ordinary riding.

Hacknoun

a good-quality lightweight riding horse, especially one used in the show ring.

Hacknoun

a ride on a horse.

Hacknoun

a horse let out for hire.

Hacknoun

an inferior or worn-out horse.

Hacknoun

a taxi.

Hacknoun

a board on which a hawk's meat is laid.

Hacknoun

a wooden frame for drying bricks, cheeses, etc.

Hacknoun

a pile of bricks stacked up to dry before firing.