crypto

1 of 2

noun

cryp·​to ˈkrip-(ˌ)tō 

plural cryptos

1

: cryptocurrency

A specialty finance firm … is the first to offer brokers the option to get their commissions paid up front, in crypto, underscoring how digital coins are becoming a more mainstream part of financial transactions.

—Jennifer Schonberger

—often used before another noun

crypto assets

the crypto market

2

: cryptography sense 2

3

: a person who adheres or belongs secretly to a party, sect, or other group

And jaws dropped, he said, when he explained the theory that Christopher Columbus was a "crypto" or hidden Jew.

—Kim Vo

crypto-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or before a vowel crypt-

1

: hidden : covered

cryptogenic

2

: hidden by dissembling : unavowed

crypto-fascist

3

: cryptographic

cryptanalysis

Examples of crypto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s a whole subsector of companies that turned away from crypto mining to help power AI data centers. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2025

After staying out of crypto for years, the buy-now-pay-later giant Klarna has been making a flurry of moves in the digital asset space. —Ben Weiss, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025

Right up there with sports gambling and crypto as the dumbest and most obvious ways for a man to lose all his money. —Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025

His confirmation comes as the CFTC is poised to take on new responsibilites regulating the crypto industry. —Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(senses 1 & 2) by shortening; (sense 3) independent use of crypto-

Combining form

combining form from Greek kryptós "hidden, secret" — more at crypt

First Known Use

Noun

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Medical Definition

crypto

noun

cryp·​to ˈkrip-(ˌ)tō 

: cryptosporidium sense 2

also : cryptosporidiosis