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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.

Ethereum, the second largest crypto, was down 2.2%, while popular altcoin XRP fell 3%.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

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

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

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

Daily trading volumes for Monero have mostly been under $250 million this month while altcoin Ripple sees more than $1.5 billion changing hands each day.

From Reuters • Mar. 22, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023