hackathon

American  

[hak-uh-thon] / ˈhæk əˌθɒn /

noun

Digital Technology.

1. a usually competitive event in which people work in groups on software or hardware projects, with the goal of creating a functioning product by the end of the event.

   At the hackathon our team produced an app that helps you monitor your sleeping habits.

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Etymology

Origin of hackathon

1995–2000; hack ¹ ( def. ) + -athon ( def. )

Example Sentences

The company’s co-founder Sean Rad, a USC dropout, presented the idea for a dating app, originally called Matchbox, at a startup incubator’s hackathon.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2025

Kausas spent part of a recent Saturday speaking at a hackathon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 12, 2025

Recently, a team at a tech event called a hackathon applied deep learning to weather forecasting.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023

If the public remains stuck on the decoding process, she says her team will likely organize an online hackathon later in August.

From Scientific American • Aug. 3, 2023

One unit ran a "hackathon," or collaborative engineering event, exploring how to imbue generative AI into its product for fighting financial crime, Peterson said, adding the technology could create investigative reports.

From Reuters • Jul. 11, 2023