What does dox mean?
To dox someone is to search for and publicly reveal their private or identifying information — a home address, phone number, real name, or workplace — usually on the internet and usually with hostile intent. The word functions as a verb ("he was doxed after the argument") and as a noun for the leaked material itself, with derived forms including doxing/doxxing, doxed/doxxed, and doxer. It emerged in 1990s hacker communities as slang for 'dropping documents' on an adversary, and entered mainstream usage as online harassment grew. Dox carries unambiguously negative connotations: it is associated with intimidation, revenge, and mob behavior rather than legitimate disclosure, and victims often face real-world consequences such as stalking or job loss. Journalists writing about internet culture treat the term as standard, though it remains informal. Knowing this word matters less for everyday conversation than for understanding modern discussions of privacy, harassment, and digital safety.
To search for and publish private or identifying information about an individual on the internet, typically with malicious or hostile intent.
"Anonymous users threatened to dox anyone who testified against them."
Usually used transitively; passive constructions ('was doxed') are very common. Variant spelling 'doxx'.
Private or identifying information about a person that has been collected and published online without consent.
"The forum post contained his dox: home address, phone number, and employer."
Used chiefly in internet and gaming communities; sometimes treated as a mass noun.
As a noun referring to sets of published personal information, though the noun sense is more often treated as uncountable.
"Moderators deleted several doxes posted to the board overnight."
Dox began life as 1990s hacker slang for 'dropping docs' on an enemy — and the internet turned it into a weapon with its own verb.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dox
Dox originated as American hacker slang in the early 1990s, an abbreviation of 'docs' (documents), used among hackers for 'dropping docs' — compiling and releasing compromising files about an opponent. As the practice migrated onto the wider internet, the spelling 'dox' (and variant 'doxx') became established as a full-fledged verb by the 2000s. Its root connects it etymologically to 'document' and 'doc', all tracing back to Latin 'documentum', from 'docere' meaning 'to teach'. The word's rapid mainstream adoption reflects how internet culture can turn niche jargon into standard vocabulary within a generation.
Related word forms
How dox is actually used
Informal register, rooted in internet and hacker culture; strongly negative connotations because it implies malicious exposure of private information. Spelled both 'dox' and 'doxx'; both spellings and their derived forms are widely accepted.
Easily confused with dox
'Docks' are structures for mooring ships or loading cargo, whereas 'dox' means to publish someone's private information online.