phishing

See also: Phishing

English

Etymology

Respelling of fishing (“trying to find”). In Usenet newsgroups, cracker and pirate groups used variant spellings of phish and warez (i.e. wares) to evade scans and filters by mainstream servers policing the ARPAnet/Internet. Compare other respelling slang like phat and phreak.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Homophone: fishing

• Rhymes: -ɪʃɪŋ

Noun

phishing (uncountable)

1. (computing) The malicious act of keeping a false website or sending a false e-mail with the intent of masquerading as a trustworthy entity in order to acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details.

   Hypernyms: spoofing; cybercrime; scam, fraud

   Hyponyms: smishing, vishing

   Holonym: social engineering

   • 2025 March 11, Sunny Yadav, “US Cities Warn of Surge in Unpaid Parking Phishing Text Scams”, in eSecurity Planet‎^[1]:

     A growing number of U.S. cities are alerting residents to a widespread phishing scam involving fraudulent text messages about unpaid parking violations.

2. The act of circumventing security with an alias.

Related terms

• phish
• phisher
• spearphishing

Translations

malicious act

• Afrikaans: uitvissing
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 釣魚法 / 钓鱼法 (diu³ jyu⁴ faat³), 釣魚欺詐 / 钓鱼欺诈 (diu³ jyu⁴ hei¹ zaa³), 網釣法 / 网钓法 (mong⁵ diu³ faat³), 釣魚式攻擊 / 钓鱼式攻击 (diu³ jyu⁴ sik¹ gung¹ gik¹), 網絡網釣 / 网络网钓 (mong⁵ lok⁶ mong⁵ diu³)

  Mandarin: 釣魚法 / 钓鱼法 (diàoyúfǎ), 釣魚欺詐 / 钓鱼欺诈 (diàoyúqīzhà), 網釣法 / 网钓法 (wǎngdiàofǎ), 釣魚式攻擊 / 钓鱼式攻击 (zh) (diàoyúshì gōngjī, diàoyúshì gōngjí), 網絡網釣 / 网络网钓 (wǎngluò wǎngdiào), 網路網釣 / 网路网钓 (wǎnglù wǎngdiào)

• Czech: phishing (cs) n, rhybaření (cs)
• Esperanto: rettrompado
• Finnish: verkkourkinta, tietojen kalastelu; khalastelu (informal); phishing
• French: hameçonnage (fr) m
• Georgian: თაღლითობა (taɣlitoba), ფიშინგი (pišingi)
• German: Phishing (de) n
• Hebrew: דִּיּוּג (diyúg), פישינג (físhing)
• Hungarian: adathalászat (hu)
• Indonesian: pengelabuan (id)
• Irish: fioscaireacht f
• Japanese: フィッシング詐欺 (フィッシングさぎ fisshingu sagi)
• Korean: 피싱 (pising)
• Maori: hītinihanga, hītinihanga
• Persian: فیشینگ (fišing)
• Polish: wyłudzanie danych n
• Portuguese: phishing m
• Romanian: înșelăciune electronică f
• Russian: фи́шинг (ru) m (fíšing)
• Spanish: phishing m, fishin m
• Swedish: nätfiske (sv) n
• Welsh: gwe-rwydo m

Verb

phishing

1. present participle and gerund of phish

Czech

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English phishing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈfɪʃɪŋk]

Noun

phishing m inan

1. phishing

Declension

Declension of phishing (velar masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	phishing	phishingy
genitive	phishingu	phishingů
dative	phishingu	phishingům
accusative	phishing	phishingy
vocative	phishingu	phishingy
locative	phishingu	phishinzích
instrumental	phishingem	phishingy

Further reading

• “phishing”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Finnish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English phishing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfiʃiŋ/, [ˈfiʃiŋ]
• Rhymes: -iʃiŋ

Noun

phishing (slang)

1. phishing

Declension

Inflection of phishing (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		phishing	phishingit
genitive		phishingin	phishingien
partitive		phishingiä	phishingejä
illative		phishingiin	phishingeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		phishing	phishingit
accusative	nom.	phishing	phishingit
	gen.	phishingin
genitive		phishingin	phishingien
partitive		phishingiä	phishingejä
inessive		phishingissä	phishingeissä
elative		phishingistä	phishingeistä
illative		phishingiin	phishingeihin
adessive		phishingillä	phishingeillä
ablative		phishingiltä	phishingeiltä
allative		phishingille	phishingeille
essive		phishinginä	phishingeinä
translative		phishingiksi	phishingeiksi
abessive		phishingittä	phishingeittä
instructive		—	phishingein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of phishing (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative phishingini phishingini accusative nom. phishingini phishingini gen. phishingini genitive phishingini phishingieni partitive phishingiäni phishingejäni inessive phishingissäni phishingeissäni elative phishingistäni phishingeistäni illative phishingiini phishingeihini adessive phishingilläni phishingeilläni ablative phishingiltäni phishingeiltäni allative phishingilleni phishingeilleni essive phishinginäni phishingeinäni translative phishingikseni phishingeikseni abessive phishingittäni phishingeittäni instructive — — comitative — phishingeineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative phishingisi phishingisi accusative nom. phishingisi phishingisi gen. phishingisi genitive phishingisi phishingiesi partitive phishingiäsi phishingejäsi inessive phishingissäsi phishingeissäsi elative phishingistäsi phishingeistäsi illative phishingiisi phishingeihisi adessive phishingilläsi phishingeilläsi ablative phishingiltäsi phishingeiltäsi allative phishingillesi phishingeillesi essive phishinginäsi phishingeinäsi translative phishingiksesi phishingeiksesi abessive phishingittäsi phishingeittäsi instructive — — comitative — phishingeinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative phishingimme phishingimme accusative nom. phishingimme phishingimme gen. phishingimme genitive phishingimme phishingiemme partitive phishingiämme phishingejämme inessive phishingissämme phishingeissämme elative phishingistämme phishingeistämme illative phishingiimme phishingeihimme adessive phishingillämme phishingeillämme ablative phishingiltämme phishingeiltämme allative phishingillemme phishingeillemme essive phishinginämme phishingeinämme translative phishingiksemme phishingeiksemme abessive phishingittämme phishingeittämme instructive — — comitative — phishingeinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative phishinginne phishinginne accusative nom. phishinginne phishinginne gen. phishinginne genitive phishinginne phishingienne partitive phishingiänne phishingejänne inessive phishingissänne phishingeissänne elative phishingistänne phishingeistänne illative phishingiinne phishingeihinne adessive phishingillänne phishingeillänne ablative phishingiltänne phishingeiltänne allative phishingillenne phishingeillenne essive phishinginänne phishingeinänne translative phishingiksenne phishingeiksenne abessive phishingittänne phishingeittänne instructive — — comitative — phishingeinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative phishinginsä phishinginsä accusative nom. phishinginsä phishinginsä gen. phishinginsä genitive phishinginsä phishingiensä partitive phishingiään phishingiänsä phishingejään phishingejänsä inessive phishingissään phishingissänsä phishingeissään phishingeissänsä elative phishingistään phishingistänsä phishingeistään phishingeistänsä illative phishingiinsä phishingeihinsä adessive phishingillään phishingillänsä phishingeillään phishingeillänsä ablative phishingiltään phishingiltänsä phishingeiltään phishingeiltänsä allative phishingilleen phishingillensä phishingeilleen phishingeillensä essive phishinginään phishinginänsä phishingeinään phishingeinänsä translative phishingikseen phishingiksensä phishingeikseen phishingeiksensä abessive phishingittään phishingittänsä phishingeittään phishingeittänsä instructive — — comitative — phishingeineen phishingeinensä

Synonyms

• verkkourkinta
• kalastelu

Further reading

• “phishing”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English phishing.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈfi.ʃĩ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfi.ʃĩɡ/

• Rhymes: -iʃĩ, -iʃĩɡ
• Hyphenation: phi‧shing

Noun

phishing m (uncountable)

1. (computer security) phishing (criminal activity consisting of sending unsolicited emails whose purpose is to induce the user to provide personal and/or financial data)

Further reading

• “phishing”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “phishing”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English phishing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfiʃin/ [ˈfi.ʃĩn]
• Rhymes: -iʃin
• Syllabification: phi‧shing

Noun

phishing m (uncountable)

1. (computing) phishing
   • 2013 April 17, “Revisa tu celular: estos son los países más afectados por el "malware"”, in CNN en Español‎^[3]:

     Los usuarios móviles también pueden ser engañados a través del llamado smishing; una combinación de las palabras SMS y phishing (donde un usuario recibe un mensaje de texto en el que se le pide información personal como un número de tarjeta de crédito o dirección de correo electrónico).

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.