encrypt

American  

[en-kript] / ɛnˈkrɪpt /

verb (used with object)

• encrypts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• encrypted,
  past participle,  past
• encrypting
  present participle

1. to convert (a message or the like) into cipher or code.

   The letter was encrypted before being mailed to protect it from any prying eyes.

2. Computers. to change (digital data) into a form that cannot be read without converting it back using a unique key.

   The protocol encrypts all of your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address, so that it cannot be stolen.

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encrypt British  

/ ɪnˈkrɪpt /

verb

1. to put (a message) into code

2. to put (computer data) into a coded form

3. to distort (a television or other signal) so that it cannot be understood without the appropriate decryption equipment

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encrypt Scientific  

/ ĕn-krĭpt /

1. To alter information using a code or mathematical algorithm so as to be unintelligible to unauthorized readers.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• encryptation
  noun
• encryption
  noun
• encrypted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• encrypting
  present
• encrypted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• encrypt
  simple
• encrypts
  simple
• have encrypted
  perfect
• has encrypted
  perfect
• am encrypting
  progressive
• are encrypting
  progressive
• is encrypting
  progressive
• have been encrypting
  perfect progressive
• has been encrypting
  perfect progressive

Past

• encrypted
  simple
• had encrypted
  perfect
• was encrypting
  progressive
• were encrypting
  progressive
• had been encrypting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will encrypt
  simple
• will have encrypted
  perfect
• will be encrypting
  progressive
• will have been encrypting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of encrypt

First recorded in 1940–45; en- ¹ + -crypt (abstracted from cryptic ( def. ), cryptography ( def. ), etc.), modeled on encode ( def. )

Explanation

To encrypt is to convert regular language into a code. Encrypting is a way of keeping secrets. Encrypting is a way of disguising a written message so that most people won't understand it. Encrypting puts a message into a code that will appear to be gibberish. Only someone who knows the code or is an expert in breaking codes — like a cryptographer — will be able to read something encrypted. People don't encrypt their laundry lists or term papers; communications that get encrypted are top secret info, like government reports and messages from spies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

encrypt encrypts encrypted encrypting

VPNs encrypt all internet traffic, which makes it harder for third parties, including government agencies, to monitor activity.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026

Companies may tell you, for example, that they encrypt biometric data, but they may not tell you the details, so there’s no way to tell how strong their safeguards are.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

The browser-based system uses cryptography to encrypt votes, or keep them secret.

From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025

“When the allegations about the NSA vacuuming up all of our information emerged in 2013, we began to encrypt everything online including our websites, chat applications, and phone apps,” Wisniewski told me.

From Slate ● Feb. 16, 2024

The more steps a cipher had, the more time it took to encrypt.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Bank A generates and encrypts a Swift payment message containing transfer instructions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

A VPN encrypts your connection but doesn’t scan for malware or identify phishing sites.

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026

While it makes your data more secure, it comes with a downside - it encrypts your data so heavily that it cannot be recovered if you lose access to your account.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025

Some Samsung Galaxy smartphones also have "enhanced data protection" which encrypts back-ups of messages, call logs, apps and settings and more end to end.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025

As you type, Enigma encrypts your message—and the number of ways it can do this is mind-boggling.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Aschenbrenner and Bankman-Fried were also in 17 group chats together on the encrypted messaging app Signal, according to documents from Bankman-Fried’s trial, including conversations named “EA Discussion” and “Anthropic Chat.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Depicted in the Oscar-winning film "The Imitation Game", Bletchley Park, north of London, was a country house where mathematician Alan Turing cracked the code on encrypted Nazi messages.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

In the parking lot, a legal observer helped her download the encrypted messaging app Signal and join her neighborhood rapid-response group.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

To accommodate this, the company shares design files through encrypted servers and protected internal systems.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

“It puts you on the same network as the embassy and has a fully encrypted firewall.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

One common security method involves encrypting data with a massive number known as a public key.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

By encrypting your traffic, a VPN prevents your ISP from seeing what type of content you’re accessing, making it harder for them to throttle your connection selectively.

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026

Quantum computing has the potential to relatively easily break the global and currently used advanced encryption standard, or AES, which involves the same key being used for both encrypting and decrypting data.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2025

In fact, the firm's commitment to encrypting messages is so significant that it previously said it would rather be blocked in the UK than weaken the encryption it uses.

From BBC ● May 28, 2024

So instead of just encrypting the message with your private key, you also encrypt it with your boss's public key.

From Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Related Words

• encipher