Bitcoin

noun

Bit·coin ˈbit-ˌkȯin

variants or less commonly bitcoin

: a digital currency created for use in peer-to-peer online transactions

Introduced in 2008 by a person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin is the most prominent of a group of virtual currencies—money that exists mainly as computer code—that have no central issuing authority.—

Carter Dougherty

… Bitcoin … is backed by no government and has a fluctuating value linked in part to a scarcity that is mathematically predetermined.—

Glenn Zorpette

The venture capital industry is beginning to take a good, hard look at a new financial instrument coming out of the bitcoin community—Initial Coin Offerings, or ICOs.—

Richard Kastelein

also, usually bitcoin : a unit of this currency

Commercial space venture Virgin Galactic—which announced on Nov. 22 that it would start accepting bitcoins to reserve a refundable $250,000 seat on a future trip—is just the latest of many businesses that have recently embraced the decentralized virtual payment system. (At press time, 1 bitcoin was worth roughly $879.) —

Time

Examples of Bitcoin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What’s next for Bitcoin? Is the Apple Heart the next great innovation? —

Quartz, 6 June 2024 Its Bitcoin mining operation was recently independently certified as 100% carbon-neutral and the company is also pursuing a carbon-negative strategy. —

Kansas City Star, 5 June 2024 Payments are typically made with Bitcoin or Ethereum, but sometimes the buyers use PayPal or CashApp. —

Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 5 June 2024 Wearing a blue suit and socks emblazoned with the Bitcoin logo, Mr. Salame stood facing Judge Lewis A. Kaplan as the sentence was read aloud in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. —

David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times, 28 May 2024 Why Apple stock isn't growing aggressively Why Tesla stock might not be a buy What's next for Boeing? Is Bitcoin a good speculative investment? —

Quartz, 28 May 2024 The initial class of 11 Bitcoin ETFs was among the most successful of all time, with BlackRock and Fidelity’s offerings leading the charge. —

Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 28 May 2024 Business Column: Bitcoin, dogecoin, NFTs, GameStop — is this the peak of investment absurdity? —

Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024 In recent months, he’s been waxing poetic a lot — particularly on crypto-friendly podcasts; Katta is evidently a big Bitcoin fan — about the problems with modern devices. —

David Pierce, The Verge, 23 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Bitcoin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.