cryptocurrency

noun

cryp·​to·​cur·​ren·​cy ˌkrip-tō-ˈkər-ən(t)-sē 

-ˈkə-rən(t)-sē

plural cryptocurrencies

: any form of currency that only exists digitally, that usually has no central issuing or regulating authority but instead uses a decentralized system to record transactions and manage the issuance of new units, and that relies on cryptography to prevent counterfeiting and fraudulent transactions

Virtual currency bitcoin hit the mainstream in 2014. Bitcoin ATMs started springing up all over the world … , allowing people to exchange cash for the cryptocurrency, a secure digital payment outside of conventional financial institutions.

—Brenda Poppy

Examples of cryptocurrency in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dozens of candidates ran for five open seats in the Chicago area, where funding from groups supporting Israel and the cryptocurrency industry played an outsize role. —Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026

Venezuela even started accepting payments in Russian rubles, bartered goods or cryptocurrency. —Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

Big spending on behalf of cryptocurrency also seeped into Tuesday’s primaries in Illinois, with only one of the super PAC Fairshake’s four preferred contenders prevailing. —Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 18 Mar. 2026

Together, the two hacking tools show that the market for sophisticated malware capable of stealing data and cryptocurrency wallet information is flourishing, researchers said. —Aj Vicens, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

crypto- + currency

First Known Use

2009, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cryptocurrency

• eurocurrency
• concurrency
• currency

Kids Definition

cryptocurrency

noun

cryp·​to·​cur·​ren·​cy ˌkrip-tō-ˈkər-ən(t)-sē 

-ˈkə-rən(t)-sē

: any form of currency that only exists digitally, that usually uses a decentralized system for issuing new units and reording transactions, and that relies on cryptography to prevent fraudulent transactions