social engineering
noun
1
: management of human beings in accordance with their place and function in society : applied social science
2
: social methods (such as phishing) that are used to obtain personal or confidential information which can then be used illicitly
The previously noted trend of switching from social engineering to hacking methods in attacks on organizations strengthened …—
San Fernando Valley (California) Business Journal
San Fernando Valley (California) Business Journal
social engineer
noun
plural social engineers
Examples of social engineering in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Customer support scams, often displaying fake phone numbers while pretending to be legitimate help services, are evolving and exploiting victims through a combination of social engineering and web vulnerabilities, Google warned.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
This reduces your exposure and helps prevent future phishing or social engineering attacks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2025
Following a reckless tariff barrage, the White House and its allies are preparing a new wave of tax-code gimmickry that has more in common with progressive social engineering than pro-growth reform.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 19 May 2025
This app was carefully designed to exploit both technical vulnerabilities and human behavior, combining social engineering tactics with malicious code to steal sensitive financial data.
—Yaamini Barathi Mohan, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for social engineering
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Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
This reduces your exposure and helps prevent future phishing or social engineering attacks.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2025
Following a reckless tariff barrage, the White House and its allies are preparing a new wave of tax-code gimmickry that has more in common with progressive social engineering than pro-growth reform.
—Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 19 May 2025
This app was carefully designed to exploit both technical vulnerabilities and human behavior, combining social engineering tactics with malicious code to steal sensitive financial data.
—Yaamini Barathi Mohan, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for social engineering
Cite this Entry
“Social engineering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20engineering. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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