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 solid aluminum unibody construction withstands drops up to 6 feet, while 256-bit AES hardware encryption keeps sensitive class project data safe on the go. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026

Neither paper has been peer-reviewed, and the result concerns a specialized corner of quantum cryptography known as unclonable encryption. — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 31 July 2026

Governments across democratic states, including the United Kingdom, continue to advocate measures that would weaken encryption in the name of public safety. — Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

When an American mole in the company goes missing, along with the keys to the model’s encryption, the biological weapon is at risk. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 31 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