cut with rough or heavy blows

hack off the dead branches

they hacked a path through the wooded mountains

men hack at the coalface

gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer

they hacked into the bank's computer

someone hacked his computer from another location

cough persistently

I was waking up in the middle of the night and coughing and hacking for hours

manage; cope

lots of people leave because they can't hack it

ride a horse for pleasure or exercise

the two riders hacked along the trail through the woods

some gentle hacking in a scenic setting