What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Hack vs Hacking - What's the difference?

hack | hacking |

Hacking is a derived term of hack.



In computing terms the difference between hack and hacking

is that hack is an expedient, temporary solution, meant to be replaced with a more elegant solution at a later date while hacking is unauthorized attempts to bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network. See also cracker.

In obsolete terms the difference between hack and hacking

is that hack is to live the life of a drudge or hack while hacking is the operation of working over the faces of rough or worn grindstones with a hack-hammer.

As verbs the difference between hack and hacking

is that hack is to chop or cut down in a rough manner while hacking is present participle of lang=en.

As nouns the difference between hack and hacking

is that hack is a tool for chopping while hacking is playful solving of technical work that requires deep understanding, especially of a computer system.

As an adjective hacking is

short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacky.

hack

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl)

Verb

(en verb)
  • To chop or cut down in a rough manner.
    • They hacked the brush down and made their way through the jungle.
  • * 1912 : (Edgar Rice Burroughs), (Tarzan of the Apes), Chapter 6
    • Among other things he found a sharp hunting knife, on the keen blade of which he immediately proceeded to cut his finger. Undaunted he continued his experiments, finding that he could hack and hew splinters of wood from the table and chairs with this new toy.
  • To cough noisily.
    • This cold is awful. I can't stop hacking .
  • To withstand or put up with a difficult situation.
    • Can you hack it out here with no electricity or running water?
  • (transitive, slang, computing) To hack into; to gain unauthorized access to (a computer system, e.g., a website, or network) by manipulating code; to crack.
  • (transitive, slang, computing) 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 .
  • (computing) To accomplish a difficult programming task.
    • He can hack like no one else and make the program work as expected.
  • (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.
  • (transitive, colloquial, by extension) 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.
  • To work with on an intimately technical level.
    • I'm currently hacking distributed garbage collection.
  • (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.
  • (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.
  • (baseball) To swing at a pitched ball.
    • He went to the batter's box hacking .
  • To strike in a frantic movement.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2010 , date=December 29 , author=Chris Whyatt , title=Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=Centre-back Branislav Ivanovic then took a wild slash at the ball but his captain John Terry saved Chelsea's skin by hacking the ball clear for a corner with Kevin Davies set to strike from just six yards out. }}
    Derived terms
    (terms derived from hack) * hack down * hack in * , hackingly, hacky * hack into * hack up * hackability * hacker
    Synonyms
    * (gain unauthorized access) crack * frob * tweak

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A tool for chopping.
  • A hacking blow.
  • A gouge or notch made by such a blow.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • A dry cough.
  • A hacking; a catch in speaking; a short, broken cough.
  • (figuratively) A try, an attempt.
  • (curling) The foothold traditionally cut into the ice from which the person who throws the rock pushes off for delivery.
  • (obsolete) A mattock or a miner's pick.
  • (computing, slang) An illegal attempt to gain access to a computer network.
  • (computing) An interesting technical achievement, particularly in computer programming.
  • (computing) A small code change meant to patch a problem as quickly as possible.
  • (computing) An expedient, temporary solution, meant to be replaced with a more elegant solution at a later date.
  • (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 .
  • (slang, military) Time check.
  • (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.
  • A kick on the shins in football.
    • Quotations
    * (English Citations of "hack")
    Synonyms
    * (access attempt) crack * band-aid, contrivance, improvision, improvisation, kludge, makeshift, quick fix, patch
    Related terms
    * marginal hacks

    Etymology 2

    Variations of (hatch), (heck).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (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.
  • A food-rack for cattle.
  • A rack used to dry something, such as bricks, fish, or cheese.
  • A grating in a mill race.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To lay (bricks) on a rack to dry.
  • (falconry) To keep (young hawks) in a state of partial freedom, before they are trained.

    • Etymology 3

    Abbreviation of , probably from place name Hackney

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) An ordinary saddle horse, especially one which has been let out for hire and is old and tired.
  • A person, often a journalist, hired to do routine work. (newspaper hack)
  • * I got by on hack work for years before I finally published my novel.
  • (pejorative) Someone who is available for hire; hireling, mercenary.
  • (slang) A taxicab (hackney cab) driver.
  • A coach or carriage let for hire; particularly, a coach with two seats inside facing each other; a hackney coach.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • On horse, on foot, in hacks and gilded chariots.
  • (pejorative) An untalented writer.
  • * Dason is nothing but a two-bit hack .
  • * He's nothing but the typical hack writer.
  • (pejorative) One who is professionally successful despite producing mediocre work. (Usually applied to persons in a creative field.)
  • (pejorative) A talented writer-for-hire, paid to put others' thoughts into felicitous language.
  • (politics) A political agitator. (slightly derogatory)
  • (obsolete) A bookmaker who hires himself out for any sort of literary work; an overworked man; a drudge.
  • * Goldsmith
    • Here lies poor Ned Purdon, from misery freed, / Who long was a bookseller's hack .
  • (obsolete) A procuress.
    • Synonyms
    *(A saddle horse which is old and tired) nag
    Coordinate terms
    *(worthless horse) bum

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (dated) To make common or cliched; to vulgarise.
  • To ride a horse at a regular pace; to ride on a road (as opposed to riding cross-country etc.).
  • (obsolete) To be exposed or offered or to common use for hire; to turn prostitute.
    • (Hanmer)
  • (obsolete) To live the life of a drudge or hack.
    • (Goldsmith)
  • To use as a hack; to let out for hire.
  • To use frequently and indiscriminately, so as to render trite and commonplace.
  • * J. H. Newman
    • The word "remarkable" has been so hacked of late.

    Etymology 4

    From

    Noun

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

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To play hackeysack.

    • hacking

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Short and interrupted, broken, jerky; hacky.
    • A hacking''' cough. A '''hacking''' laugh. A '''hacking''' breath. A '''hacking cry.
    A more hacking and harrowing cough I have never heard.
    Anise will diminish the most hacking cough to where it is no longer irritating.
  • *

    • Usage notes

    Most non-creative collocations are the phrases given as examples.

    Derived terms

    * hacking cough * hackingly

    Noun

    (-)
  • (computing) Playful solving of technical work that requires deep understanding, especially of a computer system.
    • From hacker'': ''"A person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in particular." — RFC 1392
  • (computing) Unauthorized attempts to bypass the security mechanisms of an information system or network. See also cracker.
  • (pathology) A dry coughing; the emission of a succession of short coughs.
  • (sports, chiefly, American football, soccer, rugby) A kick in the shins.
  • (massage) The act of striking the muscles with the side of the hand.
  • (UK, countable) A riding or journey on horseback. (Plural hackings.)
  • (obsolete) The operation of working over the faces of rough or worn grindstones with a hack-hammer.
  • (obsolete, masonry) The separation of a course of stones into two smaller courses, when there are not enough large stones to form a single course.
  • (obsolete, gem-cutting) The cuts and grooves made in the metal laps by holding the cutting edge of a steel blade against them while in motion, for the purpose of providing receptacles or pockets for the powders using in cutting and polishing gems.
  • (obsolete, brick-making) The piling of bricks for drying.

    • Derived terms

    * hacking coat, hacking jacket, hacking-seat * hacking run

    Verb

    (head)

    • Anagrams

    *

    See also

    *pirate

    References

    * (Vol. IV, p. 2675–2676; supplement Vol. XI, p. 559) * “hacking” in Harrap's Shorter , 2006, p. 416 * “hacking” in Concise English Dictionary , Wordsworth, 2007, p. 405 * “ hacking” at Wordnik