You searched for: “hack
hack (s) (noun), hacks (pl)
1. A short violent blow with a sharp tool: Randy took hacks at the tree branch in order to cut it off.
2. A rough cut made by a quick blow with a sharp tool; such as, a notch in a tree made with an ax: The forester made three hacks on the tree to indicate that it was diseased and should be cut down and removed.
3. A coughing noise; making a dry cough: Alan was heard making loud hacks during the night.
4. A wound from being kicked or hit with something: The hack on Fred's leg by a player on the other team was painful.

Many soccer players get hacks on their shins during the games.

5. An individual who practices a trade or career more for the gains to be achieved than for the professional merit: Leonard was known as a hack in the field of news reporting because he was always striving more for publicity than for the facts.
This entry is located in the following unit: English Words in Action, Group H (page 1)
hack (verb), hacks; hacked; hacking
1. To cut or to chop something by hitting it with short repeated blows using a sharp tool; such as, a knife or an ax: Janine is going out to the garden to hack away at the weeds this afternoon.
2. To cut a path or way through an obstruction; such as, business regulations, undergrowth, or brush: Vincent had to hack his way through some bureaucratic obstacles in order to finally get the project completed.
3. To cut, to shape, or to divide something roughly or carelessly: The editor hacked a big chunk off that article that the reporter wrote for the newspaper.
4. To use a computer or other technological device or system in order to gain unauthorized access to data held by another person or an organization: Earl decided to hack into the accounts of the company so he could illegally transfer funds into an overseas bank.
5. To cough persistently in short dry bursts with a rasping noise: Dina had been hacking so much during the day that she decided to stay home instead of going to the concert and disturbing so many people with her coughing.
6. In sports, to commit a foul by kicking or striking another player on a body part; such as, a leg or an arm: The referee blew the whistle on the player who had hacked a player from the opposing team.
This entry is located in the following unit: English Words in Action, Group H (page 1)