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

Surfshark One bundles unlimited VPN connections across all your devices with AES-256 encryption and WireGuard speeds over 950Mbps for streaming/gaming. —PC Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025

This echoes a process tested earlier this year in which the world's longest quantum communications link used photons for data transmission and encryption. —New Atlas, 28 Nov. 2025

The platform promises end-to-end encryption by default and minimizes data collection to protect user communications. —Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2025

Private networking focus Amazon Leo will offer network-wide encryption, management tools, and 24/7 priority support. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Nov. 2025

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