dox
Dox (verb) means 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. Example: “The moderator was doxed after banning a group of users.”
How to Use Dox
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishIt means posting someone's private details online so strangers can target them.
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.
Doxing describes the act of publishing the details, whether or not anyone acts on them.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The moderator was _____ after banning a group of users.
Etymology
An alteration of docs, short for documents, from the practice of releasing documents about a person online. Also spelled doxx.
Synonyms
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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.
Featured In
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