hacking away

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitive

   Cutting something with repeated heavy blows, often in order to remove it.

   Grammar: Usually followed by 'at' and the thing being cut: hack away at the branches.

   Patterns

   • hack away at something
   • hack away with something

   He was hacking away at the thick vines with a small knife.

   The workers spent the afternoon hacking away at the old fence.

   She hacked away at the ice until the car door opened.

2. 2verbintransitivefigurative

   Working hard at a difficult task for a long time, especially in a slow or tiring way.

   Grammar: Often followed by 'at' and the task: hack away at the report.

   Patterns

   • hack away at something
   • keep hacking away

   I've been hacking away at this essay all weekend and it's still not done.

   They kept hacking away at the problem until they found a solution.

   Just keep hacking away at the coding and you'll finish eventually.

Word forms

Common combinations

hack away at

The gardener hacked away at the overgrown bushes.

keep hacking away

Even when it's hard, you have to keep hacking away.

hack away with a knife

He hacked away with a knife to cut the rope.

Synonyms and how they differ

chop away

Similar but often suggests cleaner, more regular cuts; 'hack away' suggests rougher, repeated blows.

chip away

Used for breaking off small pieces gradually, while 'hack away' is more forceful.

Word family

hack verb

To cut something roughly or with heavy blows.

Commonly confused: hacking away or hack?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “hacking away”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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