hash

¹

[hash]

noun

1. a dish of diced or chopped meat and often vegetables, as of leftover corned beef or veal and potatoes, sautéed in a frying pan, or of meat, potatoes, and carrots cooked together in gravy.

2. a mess, jumble, or muddle.

   a hash of unorganized facts and figures.

3. a reworking of old and familiar material.

   This essay is a hash of several earlier and better works.

4. Computers.

   1. garbage.

   2. hash value.

   3. hashing.

   4. hash mark.

   5. hash table.

5. Radio and Television Slang.,  electrical noise on an analog radio or, appearing as snow, in an analog television picture, caused by interfering outside sources that generate sparking.

verb (used with object)

1. to chop into small pieces; make into hash; mince.

2. to muddle or mess up.

   We thought we knew our parts, but when the play began we hashed the whole thing.

3. to discuss or review (something) thoroughly (often followed byout ).

   They hashed out every aspect of the issue.

verb phrase

1. hash over,  to bring up again for consideration; discuss, especially in review.

   At the class reunion they hashed over their college days.

hash

²

[hash]

noun

Slang.

1. hashish.

hash

¹

/ hæʃ /

noun

1. a dish of diced cooked meat, vegetables, etc, reheated in a sauce

2. something mixed up

3. a reuse or rework of old material

4. informal

   1. to mix or mess up

   2. to defeat or destroy

5. informal,  to subdue or silence someone

verb

1. to chop into small pieces

2. to mix or mess up

hash

²

/ hæʃ /

noun

1. the character (#) used to precede a number

2. this sign used in printing or writing to indicate that a space should be inserted

hash

³

/ hæʃ /

noun

1. slang,  short for hashish

Other Word Forms

• unhashed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hash¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from French hacher “to cut up,” derivative of hache “ax,” hatchet

Origin of hash²

By shortening

Word History and Origins

Origin of hash¹

C17: from Old French hacher to chop up, from hache _hatchet

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. settle someone's hash, to stop, silence, or subdue.

   If she keeps badmouthing me, I'm going to have to settle her hash.

2. make a hash of, to spoil or botch.

   The new writer made a hash of his first assignment.

More idioms and phrases containing hash

• make a hash of
• settle someone's hash
• sling hash

Example Sentences

World leaders and business titans gathered in South Korea this week to hash out issues from tariffs and AI to disputed history and regional security.

Read more on Barron's

Over the weekend, trade negotiators from both sides in Malaysia hashed out a preliminary framework agreement for the two leaders to discuss to defuse recent tensions.

Read more on Barron's

We had always been planning to hash it out and have those bitter debates through October and early November to figure it out.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That hot, hard rock devours conventional drill bits and makes a hash of the concrete usually poured deep underground around the steel pipes required to line such a well and keep it from collapsing.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In recent weeks, both sides engaged in a charm offensive to sway shareholders, hashing out their opposing arguments publicly and conveying confidence that their clashing views would prevail.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• stew