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 PocketGuard utilizes bank-level encryption, PINs and biometrics like Touch ID and Face ID. — Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 21 July 2026

Privacy-enhancing technologies — including differential privacy, federated learning, homomorphic encryption and confidential computing — allow organizations to derive insights from information while reducing exposure of personally identifiable data. — David Henkin, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

BitLocker gives you full-disk encryption, standard for anyone handling sensitive data or working in a compliance-heavy job. — New Atlas, 20 July 2026

The system also comes from the factory with BitLocker enabled for on-device encryption. — John Loeffler, PC Magazine, 20 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