phish  (fĭsh)  intr.v. phished, phish·ing, phish·es To request confidential information over the Internet under false pretenses in order to fraudulently obtain credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal data. [Alteration (influenced by phreak) of fish.] |
| Main Entry: | phish |
| Part of Speech: | v |
| Definition: | to send ruse e-mail with a link to a replica of an existing web page, designed to fool users into submitting personal, financial, or password information; to defraud someone using this method; also, to create a website replica for fooling unsuspecting Internet users into submitting personal or financial information or passwords |
| Example: | 1990s; prob fr fishing, borrowing the ph from phony |
| Etymology: | computing; also phishing, (n.), phisher, (n.) |