blockchain

noun

block·​chain ˈbläk-ˌchān 

: a digital database containing information (such as records of financial transactions) that can be simultaneously used and shared within a large decentralized, publicly accessible network

also : the technology used to create such a database

The technology at the heart of bitcoin and other virtual currencies, blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way.

—Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani

Examples of blockchain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To ensure that bots act as instructed, Mastercard’s new protocol stores permissions that humans grant their AI agents onto a blockchain. —Ben Weiss, Fortune, 10 June 2026

Tokenized finance refers to using blockchain-style technology to represent financial assets as digital tokens. —Justina Lee, CNBC, 3 June 2026

Public blockchains make settlement visible, auditable, and difficult to falsify. —Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

Founded in New York in 2021 by Jack Callahan, Mike Pollard, and Eric Farber, Nina began as a distribution service, which allowed artists to upload music directly to listeners via the blockchain and retain full ownership of—and sales revenue from—their releases. —Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2011, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for blockchain

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• butane
• campaign
• cetane