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

Tempo’s ascendence and corporate partnerships are indicative of a larger trend where well-heeled, corporate firms—from Robinhood to Stripe—are making their way into blockchain, traditionally the territory of anti-establishmentarians and iconoclasts. —Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026

It’s built on the Ethereum and Polygon blockchains and denominates trades primarily in the stablecoin USDC. —Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026

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, 11 Apr. 2026

The ambiguity around prediction markets and taxes resembles the confusion around how to report cryptocurrency profits at the beginning of the blockchain boom. —Kate Knibbs, Wired News, 7 Apr. 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