encryption

noun

en·​cryp·​tion in-ˈkrip-shən 

en-

plural encryptions

1

: the act or process of encrypting something : a conversion of something (such as data) into a code or cipher

The regulations … make it harder to provide automatic encryption of information as it passes through the dozens of links in a typical Internet connection …

—Paul Wallich

… a hacker slips into a system, then puts encryption controls in place that locks users out.

—Elizabeth Millard

2

: a code or cipher produced by encrypting something

Artificial intelligence can decode encryptions that previously could not be cracked.

—Ana Swanson

Examples of encryption in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its Risk Analysis tools help organizations identify sensitive data, allowing quantum-resistant encryption to be applied where it’s most needed. —Robert Kramer, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Instead of relying on your browser to store credentials, use a dedicated password manager that offers zero-knowledge architecture and military-grade encryption to keep your data safe. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025

There is also financial protection encryption technology for cloud storage. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 June 2025

One limitation to that method, though, is that more powerful quantum computers in the future could break through modern forms of encryption. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 24 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for encryption

• ascription
• conscription
• decryption
• description
• egyptian
• inscription
• prescription
• proscription
• subscription
• transcription
• circumscription
• misdescription