Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

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.


Etymology

Origin of hackathon

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

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:

It sponsors a hackathon called Thunderdome where employees build passion projects.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 30, 2026

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

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training