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

There has been far less trading of stocks issued natively on the blockchain since only a small handful of companies—including Galaxy, Figure and Securitize itself—have sought to issue shares this way. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 15 July 2026

Permissions that humans grant their agents are recorded on public blockchains including Polygon, Solana and Base, and settlement runs across cards, bank accounts and regulated stablecoins. — Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 10 July 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