cryptocurrency

noun

cryp·​to·​cur·​ren·​cy ˌkrip-tō-ˈkər-ən(t)-sē 

-ˈkə-rən(t)-sē

plural cryptocurrencies

: any form of currency that only exists digitally, that usually has no central issuing or regulating authority but instead uses a decentralized system to record transactions and manage the issuance of new units, and that relies on cryptography to prevent counterfeiting and fraudulent transactions

Virtual currency bitcoin hit the mainstream in 2014. Bitcoin ATMs started springing up all over the world … , allowing people to exchange cash for the cryptocurrency, a secure digital payment outside of conventional financial institutions.

—Brenda Poppy

Examples of cryptocurrency in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The participants included Sergey Brin; Chris Larsen, of the cryptocurrency company Ripple Labs; and the venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Michael Moritz, the Standard’s main funder. — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Zimperium found RatHat targeting banking and cryptocurrency apps. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Or the administration’s personal enrichment through cryptocurrency ventures? — Colleen Kujawa, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

But consider what happened to Bybit, then the world’s second-largest centralized cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. — Joao Gomes, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

crypto- + currency

First Known Use

2009, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cryptocurrency

• eurocurrency
• concurrency
• currency

Kids Definition

cryptocurrency

noun

cryp·​to·​cur·​ren·​cy ˌkrip-tō-ˈkər-ən(t)-sē 

-ˈkə-rən(t)-sē

: any form of currency that only exists digitally, that usually uses a decentralized system for issuing new units and reording transactions, and that relies on cryptography to prevent fraudulent transactions