encryption

noun

en·​cryp·​tion in-ˈkrip-shən 

en-

plural encryptions

1

: the act or process of encrypting something : a conversion of something (such as data) into a code or cipher

The regulations … make it harder to provide automatic encryption of information as it passes through the dozens of links in a typical Internet connection …

—Paul Wallich

… a hacker slips into a system, then puts encryption controls in place that locks users out.

—Elizabeth Millard

2

: a code or cipher produced by encrypting something

Artificial intelligence can decode encryptions that previously could not be cracked.

—Ana Swanson

Examples of encryption in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Look for key signs of reliability: The platform should have strong security features like two-factor authentication (2FA), encryption and up-to-date security certifications. —Bojan Ilic, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025

Disable remote access unless absolutely necessary and use WPA3 encryption if available. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025

Cracking an encryption scheme would require a quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm on hundreds of thousands of efficient quantum bits, or qubits. —Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 9 June 2025

On top of that, he’s added a layer of personal encryption, swapping out select words to throw off would-be attackers. —Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 7 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for encryption

• ascription
• conscription
• decryption
• description
• egyptian
• inscription
• prescription
• proscription
• subscription
• transcription
• circumscription
• misdescription