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

Over the course of July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed three separate bills providing cryptocurrency regulations, and one of them, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act (GENIUS Act), was signed into law by President Donald Trump. —Charles Lloyd Bovaird Ii, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

The attackers use deceptive ads that imitate popular cryptocurrency brands like Binance, TradingView, ByBit and MetaMask. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2025

According to a recent study by Redfin, more than one in 10 (12.7 percent) recent young homebuyers—including Gen Zers and millennials—used cryptocurrency to help fund their down payment in May. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 July 2025

Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency that's pegged to a fiat currency, like the U.S. dollar. —Siena Griffin, CNBC, 30 July 2025

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