hashtag
Americannoun
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hashtags
plural
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(on social media websites)
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a word or phrase preceded by a hash mark (#), used within a message to identify a keyword or topic of interest and facilitate a search for it.
The hashtag #sandiegofire was used to help coordinate an emergency response to the fire.
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a hash mark used in this way.
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a word or phrase preceded by a hash mark (#) or by the word hashtag , used to add wit or emphasis to a spoken or written statement.
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a hash mark or the word hashtag used in this way, as in the sentence His goodbye was so hashtag awkward.
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verb (used with or without object)
noun
Usage
What does hashtag mean? A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a hash mark (#), also known as a pound sign, used primarily on social media. On social media, hashtags provide users a way to search for posts related to the word or phrase in the hashtag. You can click on a hashtag to see a list of recent posts that include that keyword. (A couple of our favorites are #WordOfTheDay and #WordNerd.)To hashtag means to add a hashtag to a word, topic, or message, as in We hashtag our posts about history with #HistoryMatters so you can find them easily. Example: Use the hashtag #petthedog with a video of you petting your dog for a chance to win our contest.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hashtag
First recorded in 2005–10; hash (mark) + tag 1 (in the sense “a label or keyword”)
Explanation
A hashtag is a keyword or phrase that's used on social media. By searching for a certain hashtag, you can easily find the cute cat content you're looking for. To create a hashtag, type # (which is variously called the "number sign," "pound sign," or "hash") followed by a word. You might post about a successful pie-baking experiment and use the hashtags #pie, #sourcherrypie, and #baking. And if you're looking for content about capybaras, just click on #capybara and you'll see a list of every photo or post with that hashtag. The very first hashtags appeared on Twitter in 2007, and they quickly spread across all social media.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Protesters have also gathered in New York, Boston and other US cities to show support for the accuser, while social media users have shared the hashtag #IAmJaneDoe on TikTok, X and Instagram.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Messages of support with the hashtag #IAmJaneDoe have proliferated on TikTok, X and Instagram, with users claiming to be the alleged victim in a bid to make it harder to identify her.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Taco Bell’s account and its campaign hashtag have also been given pride of place in Divine’s “featured” feed until Sept. 16.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Another bonding week,” Rodgers wrote, adding the hashtag #fam.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
He wondered if Win Keegan would be a hashtag.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Occasionally, they include hashtags with “ad” or “partner” after the brand name, but usually don’t.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
And, yes, lengthy, instructive captions and special hashtags still help boost posts.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
At the end of the meeting, Smiley encouraged people to continue to push for the completion of the project and to post on social media with hashtags such as #KeepThePromiseCrenshaw, #ProcrastinationCrenshaw and #DestinationCrenshaw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Online, young women and girls launched a wave of solidarity campaigns, using hashtags invoking Saabirin's name.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
I’ve tweeted RIP hashtags, reblogged pictures on Tumblr, and signed every petition out there.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
An NFL spokesman confirmed to AFP that the boy was an actor, and an Instagram post seemingly from the child in question, Lincoln Fox, was hashtagged #youngbadbunny.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
That’s true in real estate, too, where celebrities have peddled hashtagged images of luxury condos in exchange for payouts and swag.
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2023
Burke, 49, had coined “Me Too” as part of her advocacy work more than a decade before a hashtagged tweet from actor Alyssa Milano, in the wake of the Weinstein allegations, saw the phrase explode.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2022
Slovak media reported the main suspect had posted messages with the phrases “hate crime” and “gay bar” hashtagged on Twitter.
From Reuters ● Oct. 13, 2022
I felt like everything that could be said had been said, posted, hashtagged and perhaps even screen-printed onto T-shirts and tote bags.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 16, 2020
Someone had used it in a magazine cover, and all these Muslims found it hilarious and were hashtagging it and joking about it.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2022
Certainly it’s refreshing to see an end-of-the-world movie in which the characters aren’t just cluelessly hashtagging their way to oblivion the way they do in “Don’t Look Up,” another recent movie about humanity’s impending extinction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2022
But you with your armchair analysis, and you tweeting, and you're hashtagging, that's not helping me.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2021
For many non-black people the hashtagging of #black is a millennial wake-up call.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 13, 2019
They are officially hashtagging #PackTheKap down there in Williamsburg.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2016
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
