hack away
B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
In simple words
To keep cutting at something hard, or to keep working on something difficult without stopping.
Literal meaning: To hack (cut forcefully) repeatedly in a direction away from oneself.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To cut something repeatedly with a sharp tool using force.
"The explorers spent hours hacking away at the dense jungle undergrowth."
Grammar: inseparable
2 B1
idiomatic
neutral
To persist at a difficult or time-consuming task with sustained effort.
"She kept hacking away at the problem until she finally found a solution."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Can be used literally (chopping wood, cutting through vegetation) or figuratively (continuing to work at a difficult problem or task). The figurative use often has a positive connotation of persistence.
Commonly used with
tree problem jungle debt task weeds
Forms
Base
hack away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
hacks away
he/she/it
Past simple
hacked away
yesterday
Past participle
hacked away
have + pp
-ing form
hacking away
continuous
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