hashtag

noun

hash·tag ˈhash-ˌtag

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.

The hashtag #boycottsuperbowl trended on social media. —

Sean Gregory, TIME, 6 Feb. 2025 What to Know: The movement uses the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501 (50 protests, 50 states, one day). —

Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 But some fans remain, spreading social media hashtags and sporting now-retro team gear. —

Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2025 Like Instagram, most posts are dominated by images and GIFs rather than text, aside from a link or catchy hashtag like #FaceCardFriday. —

PCMAG, 4 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for hashtag