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altcoin

American

[awlt-koin] / ˈɔltˌkɔɪn /

noun

any cryptocurrency that is not bitcoin.

These five altcoins will be worth watching for the next few months, as they've been steadily rising in value.

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.

The overall altcoin market saw sharp declines in the fourth quarter of 2025, as did bitcoin and ether, owing to a variety of factors.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 2026

Ethereum, the second largest crypto, fell 3.4% to $3,202, while popular altcoin XRP, used to facilitate and settle transactions on the Ripple payment platform, slipped 2.6% to $2.02.

From Barron's • Dec. 11, 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

SkyBridge has invested in bitcoin, ethereum , solana and altcoin algorand , and is also eyeing the structured credit market to drive 2023 returns after the firm's losses in 2022.

From Reuters • Jan. 16, 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