Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 23, 2023 is: hashtag \HASH-tag\ noun

A hashtag is a word or phrase that starts with the symbol # and that categorizes or comments on the text or image it accompanies. The word hashtag can also refer to the symbol # as used in a hashtag.

// She used the hashtag #VeganEats to search social media for new recipes and restaurants she could add to her list.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hashtag)

Examples:

“While attending the opening ceremony for the screening of the festival's opening film, ‘Jeanne du Barry,’ the ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ star [Dame Helen Mirren] walked the red carpet at Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, and showed off a blue hairstyle to match her blue gown. Mirren paired her look with matching earrings, a necklace and a black fan with the hashtag #WorthIt.” — Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 16 May 2023

Did you know?

Hashtags are an everyday part of Internet culture, thanks to social media. Originally designed for categorizing posts (i.e., [tagging](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tag#h2) them) on Twitter, hashtags now commonly also supplement or comment on whatever text or image they accompany. The “hash” in hashtag is short for [hash mark](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hash%20mark), a term for what we also call a [pound sign](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pound%20sign) or, if you want to apply the word-nerdiest designation, an [octothorpe](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octothorpe). Hash in this case is probably an alteration of [hatch](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hatch#h5), a term for the lines artists sometimes use to add shading to a drawing. #WordNerdery