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

This downturn occurs while the AI investment boom draws capital, despite BlackRock's $9 trillion crypto forecast. —Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

Most crypto tokens have an indirect relationship with the underlying platform activity, but hyperliquid is different. —Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 6 June 2026

Crypto-tracing firm Chainalysis this week published an analysis of crypto flows to peptide sellers, a gray market that the company now measures at more than $100 million a year and growing. —Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 6 June 2026

Those coins had been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal crypto market since the sector began its downward trend in October. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 June 2026

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