Hashtag

/ˈhæʃˌtæɡ/ noun

Definition

A hashtag is a word or phrase with a # symbol in front of it, used on social media to group and find related posts.

Etymology

Formed from “hash,” an older name for the # symbol, and “tag,” meaning a label. It became popular on Twitter around 2007 and then spread to many platforms.

Kelly Says

The # symbol has had many names—number sign, pound sign, hash—before becoming the star of the internet as the hashtag. It turned out that a simple label could organize millions of chaotic posts into instant topics.

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