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

No threat to modern encryption​ The research focused on 1024-bit RSA, an outdated encryption standard largely replaced by stronger 2048-bit or larger keys. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026

Scramble uses end-to-end encryption and a zero-knowledge architecture, with two-factor authentication available for account security. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026

Other techniques preserve file extensions, manipulate time stamps, corrupt headers and suppress the entropy and encryption changes to evade detection tools. — Jim McGann, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Companies must tell users exactly why information is being gathered, keep it accurate, store it only as long as the stated purpose requires and protect it with safeguards such as encryption. — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 4 Nov. 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