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

Over the next few years Trump will have major influence over antitrust policy, the development and use of artificial intelligence and the growth and prevalence of cryptocurrency, to name just some of the issues of vital and remunerative interest to the tech industry. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025

That includes stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency typically pegged to the U.S. dollar. —Hannah Lang and Trevor Hunnicutt, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025

They are considered rather volatile in the cryptocurrency space with a large amount of risk and are more symbolic rather than investment focused, allowing buyers to support an online personality or celebrity. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2025

Amid all this, cryptocurrency assets are skyrocketing in value thanks to Trump’s unsubtle promises to nix regulation of an industry that also funneled millions into his comeback. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

crypto- + currency

First Known Use

2009, in the meaning defined above

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