altcoin
Americannoun
Usage
What's the difference between altcoin, bitcoin, and cryptocurrency? See digital currency ( def. ).
Etymology
Origin of altcoin
First recorded in 2010–15; alt- 2 ( def. ) or alt(ernative) ( def. ) + coin ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ethereum, the second-biggest cryptos, and popular altcoin XRP fell by 3.3% and 2.7%, respectively.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
“If a broad altcoin rally is still in the cards, it will likely take weeks or months or longer to materialize.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
Crypto watchers are following the path of solana, an altcoin named after a beach town in southern California that is poised to become the next breakout star of the crypto world.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2025
Traders said liquidity was low on the altcoin moves, but steadily improving in bitcoin and ether.
From Reuters ● Jul. 14, 2023
In the end, both the Bitcoin camp and altcoin enthusiasts seemed to be happy to see SBF fall, with one CoinDesk editor opining, “In a real sense, Bankman-Fried never represented crypto.”
From Slate ● Dec. 15, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
