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

Now, something similar is playing out in the brokerage industry as a result of another disruptive technology—blockchain—that is leading a growing number of companies to tokenize stocks. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026

To reach billions in LATAM and MENA, the industry must stop treating blockchain as a retail product and approach it as a public service. — Jeff Mahony, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Launched earlier this year, Robinhood Chain is a blockchain that supports the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

MyStarChain will present its blockchain voting platform MyStarPick, and HiStranger will introduce Insight Flow, a tool that reads biosignals to gauge audience emotional response. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Aug. 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