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

Malware deployed via seemingly innocent GitHub repositories and embedded in blockchains, where the malware will be stored forever (and increasingly difficult to root out as the chains grow), makes for an almost unstoppable technology. —Jessica Klein, PC Magazine, 28 Mar. 2026

Jeff Yan, a former crypto trader who went to Harvard, teamed up with a handful of employees to design a decentralized exchange as well as a blockchain that powers the trading platform. —Ben Weiss, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026

The innovation enables an autonomous drone to record important operational and sensor data directly onto a blockchain during flight, creating a secure and tamper-resistant record of its activities. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Mar. 2026

Is there any chance Berkshire could pursue a crypto or blockchain opportunity? —Alex Crippen, CNBC, 7 Mar. 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