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# social engineering

phrase (noun phrase; uncountable)

«social engineering» in the English dictionary: in the primary school — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## In the primary school

Source: Mova's pupils' dictionary. Licence: [Elamur Cosmic License](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/docs/LICENSE/). Reviewed: the dictionary the pupils of Mova's primary school read; its examples quote the lessons and public-domain tales. Ships with Mova.

### Meaning

1. (jargon, computers) tricking people into giving away passwords, money or secrets by lying or pretending to be someone trusted.
2. (politics) a government planning to change how society behaves through laws and policies.

### In the lessons

Used in computer safety lessons and news about scams; the friendly name hides plain trickery. Jargon, all regions. In politics it can sound like a criticism.

### Examples

- Social engineering is when a scammer pretends to be your bank.
- The hackers used social engineering to get the password.
- Our online safety lesson was about social engineering.
- Never give your password to anyone, even if they sound friendly; that could be social engineering.
- Critics called the new tax a piece of social engineering.
- The fake email from "the head teacher" was social engineering.

### Note

Not real engineering with machines. Stands for "tricking people". Safety: be careful with anyone asking for passwords or codes.