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

Public blockchains were built on transparency, but in regulated markets, full transparency is often a blocker. —Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

Figure’s business centers around putting mortgages on the blockchain, which the company says speeds up the granting and funding of home loans. —Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025

Figure Technology Solutions — The blockchain lender rose 11%. —Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025

Nasdaq’s move comes amid a broader push by more traditional finance firms into the digital assets industry and blockchain technology. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2025

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