1. Plural of phreaking; instances or acts of unauthorized access to or manipulation of telephone systems and networks.
Usage: slang; informal; computing/telecommunications jargon; often associated with early computer hacking culture

Examples

• The documentary detailed several phreakings from the 1970s that exposed vulnerabilities in the telephone network.
• Early computer enthusiasts engaged in phreakings to understand how telephone systems worked.
• Law enforcement cracked down on phreakings after discovering widespread unauthorized access to long-distance networks.
• The hacker's phreakings allowed him to make free long-distance calls across the country.
• Security experts studied past phreakings to improve telephone system protections.