noun

phishing

/ˈfɪʃɪŋ/ · say it: FISH·ing

tricking people into revealing sensitive information online

In more detail

1. (noun) a cyberattack in which criminals send fake emails or messages pretending to be from a trusted organization in order to trick people into revealing personal information like passwords or bank details

2. (noun) the act or practice of carrying out such attacks

Examples

1. He lost money after falling victim to a phishing scam that copied his bank's website.
2. Phishing is one of the most common ways that hackers steal people's identities.

How to use phishing

Phishing is a technical term from cybersecurity, widely used in both professional and everyday contexts when discussing online fraud. It refers specifically to fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information through deception, typically via email or messaging. The term is neutral and factual rather than emotionally charged.

Common phrases

phishing email
phishing attack
phishing scam
phishing scheme
fall for phishing
susceptible to phishing

Synonyms

spear phishing · social engineering · credential harvesting · email fraud

Word family

phisher (noun) · phishing email (noun phrase) · phish (verb)

A common mistake

Learners often confuse phishing with legitimate security practices like multi-factor authentication, or mistakenly think it refers only to mass emails rather than targeted attempts.

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