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

Phillips acknowledges that encryption alone doesn’t guarantee compliance with data privacy regulations. —Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Microsoft handed the government encryption keys for customer data. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Jan. 2026

These include cross-platform alerts, frequently changing Bluetooth identifiers, and end-to-end encryption. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026

The quantum encryption scheme works by first generating pairs of noisy entangled qubits. —IEEE Spectrum, 25 Jan. 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