crypto

1 of 2

noun

cryp·​to ˈkrip-(ˌ)tō 

plural cryptos

1

: cryptocurrency

A specialty finance firm … is the first to offer brokers the option to get their commissions paid up front, in crypto, underscoring how digital coins are becoming a more mainstream part of financial transactions.

—Jennifer Schonberger

—often used before another noun

crypto assets

the crypto market

2

: cryptography sense 2

3

: a person who adheres or belongs secretly to a party, sect, or other group

And jaws dropped, he said, when he explained the theory that Christopher Columbus was a "crypto" or hidden Jew.

—Kim Vo

crypto-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or before a vowel crypt-

1

: hidden : covered

cryptogenic

2

: hidden by dissembling : unavowed

crypto-fascist

3

: cryptographic

cryptanalysis

Examples of crypto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

That’s the view from Carlyle’s Chief Strategy Officer Jeff Currie, who told CNBC’s Julianna Tatelbaum in London that there is a link between the AI jitters and big moves seen in the crypto markets this week. —Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 23 Nov. 2025

So far in November, Bitcoin has lost around 23 percent of its value, its steepest single-month fall since June 2022, when the collapse of TerraUSD and FTX rattled the crypto market. —Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

The crypto exchange hopes to expand access to Solana, said Branzburg. —Ben Weiss, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2025

Some analysts say the crypto market is at an inflection point, where the positive catalysts this year have been priced in, and with increasing uncertainty about the outlook. —John Towfighi, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(senses 1 & 2) by shortening; (sense 3) independent use of crypto-

Combining form

combining form from Greek kryptós "hidden, secret" — more at crypt

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Medical Definition

crypto

noun

cryp·​to ˈkrip-(ˌ)tō 

: cryptosporidium sense 2

also : cryptosporidiosis