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

Meanwhile, security vendors are moving post-quantum protection from theory into live enterprise security platforms by embedding quantum-safe encryption into secure access service edge (SASE), zero trust, secure web gateways and wide area network (WAN) connectivity. — Michelle Drolet, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

And if your data needs extra safeguarding, the My Passport SSD comes with 256-bit AES hardware encryption and password protection for a double security whammy. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026

As a Gmail client that didn’t support end-to-end encryption, Notion’s AI-centric approach to email lacked the privacy focus that Skiff carried as an email provider. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026

Budgeting apps also use data encryption and other safety precautions to protect your data. — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 24 June 2026

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