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

Security features Uses a zero-knowledge approach, government-standard AES-256 encryption, multi-factor authentication, support for biometrics and has passed third-party security audits. — Brian Sloan,dan Avery, CNBC, 15 July 2026

Sysdig's research reveals JadePuffer, the first agentic ransomware, leveraging AI to automate nearly all attack stages, from reconnaissance to data encryption and ransom note generation. — Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

PocketGuard uses bank-level encryption and connects to financial institutions through secure third-party providers. — Catherine Collins, USA Today, 10 July 2026

At the same time, reporters’ access has been limited by the encryption of police-radio transmissions, which once allowed generations of reporters and photographers from Weegee onward to get to crime scenes right after the cops did. — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 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