hashtag

noun

hash·​tag ˈhash-ˌtag How to pronounce hashtag (audio)
plural hashtags
: a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text (such as a tweet)
You know a thing is really a thing these days when it has its own hashtag. And there it was last week, trending on Twitter alongside #cincodemayo and #happymothersday: #umpshow, which sprang up in the wake of some shockingly bad umpiring over the first six weeks of the major league season.Joe Sheehan
It's also true that a popular hashtag can benefit important and worthy subjects, such as the recently kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls.Mark Leibovich
also : the symbol # as used in a hashtag

Did you know?

Hashtags are an everyday part of Internet culture, thanks to social media. Originally designed for categorizing posts (i.e., tagging them) on Twitter, hashtags now commonly also supplement or comment on whatever text or image they accompany. The “hash” in hashtag is short for hash mark, a term for what we also call a pound sign or, if you want to apply the word-nerdiest designation, an octothorpe. Hash in this case is probably an alteration of hatch, a term for the lines artists sometimes use to add shading to a drawing. #WordNerdery

Examples of hashtag in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fake accounts also amplified 13% of posts with the hashtag #denydefenddepose, a reference to the words inscribed on bullet casings found near the shooting. Thomas Brewster, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024 Social Media Trends and Cautionary Advice As gut health becomes a popular topic on social media—with the hashtag #guthealth garnering more than 903,000 views—various videos offer product recommendations and advice on improving gut health. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024 Parton urged participants to share their audition videos to social media with the hashtag #SearchForDolly. Adam Tamburin, Axios, 5 Dec. 2024 The team then searched each destination Instagram, recording the number of posts and hashtags mentioning the spot. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 4 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hashtag 

Word History

First Known Use

2007, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hashtag was in 2007

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Dictionary Entries Near hashtag

Cite this Entry

“Hashtag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hashtag. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

hashtag

noun
hash·​tag
ˈhash-ˌtag
: a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text (as a tweet)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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