1 B1 neutral
To cut something repeatedly with a sharp tool using force.
"The explorers spent hours hacking away at the dense jungle undergrowth."
inseparable
hack away
B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
To keep cutting or striking something forcefully and repeatedly; to persist at a difficult task with energy.
In plain English
To keep cutting at something hard, or to keep working on something difficult without stopping.
What does "hack away" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
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."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To hack (cut forcefully) repeatedly in a direction away from oneself.
Actually means
To keep cutting at something hard, or to keep working on something difficult without stopping.
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "hack away"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
tree problem jungle debt task weeds
How to conjugate "hack away"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "hack away" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "hack away" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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