someone who plays golf poorly
"The new member of the foursome is a terrible hacker, sending every drive into the woods within three holes."
a programmer for whom computing is its own reward; may enjoy the challenge of breaking into other computers but does no harm
"true hackers subscribe to a code of ethics and look down upon crackers"
One who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer.
"The security team hired an experienced hacker to help them patch several vulnerabilities in their main server before the launch."
In plain English: A hacker is someone who breaks into computer systems without permission to steal information or cause trouble.
"The hacker managed to steal data from the company's database."
Usage: In everyday usage, a hacker is someone skilled at writing complex code or finding clever solutions to technical problems, rather than an illegal intruder. You should use this term to praise a developer's ingenuity without implying they are breaking security laws.
Originally meaning a woodcutter or someone who chops wood, the word hacker entered English in the Late Middle Ages. While it began as an occupational term for laborers cutting timber, its modern sense of a computer expert developed much later through a shift in usage rather than a direct linguistic inheritance from this root.