dox

2 synonyms for dox, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — To publish someone's private personal information online without their consent, typically their home address, workplace, phone number or real name, so that others can harass them.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

out

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

expose

How to use dox

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

dox someone get doxed doxing campaign anti-doxing policy

Informal in origin but now standard in news reporting and platform policies. Both dox and doxx are accepted; doxing and doxxing are both used for the noun and participle.

Etymology

An alteration of docs, short for documents, from the practice of releasing documents about a person online. Also spelled doxx.

Full origin of dox →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between doxing and hacking?

Hacking is gaining unauthorised access to a system or account. Doxing is publishing someone's personal details, and the information is often gathered from public records and social media without any break-in at all.

Is doxing illegal?

It depends on the jurisdiction and what is published. Many places have no offence called doxing but prosecute it under harassment, stalking, data protection or threat laws, and virtually every major platform bans it outright.

Is it spelled dox or doxx?

Both are in use and neither is wrong. Dox and doxing are the more common forms in edited news writing; doxx and doxxing are widespread online.

People also searched

out expose

Nearby words

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