bitcoin
Americannoun
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bitcoins
plural
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Often Bitcoin the first widely established cryptocurrency, which uses state-of-the-art cryptography, can be issued in any fractional denomination, and has a decentralized distribution system.
Increasing numbers of stores and online businesses accept Bitcoin.
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a single unit of bitcoin, the first widely established cryptocurrency.
The value of a bitcoin has sometimes surpassed the value of an ounce of gold.
Usage
What's the difference between bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and digital currency? See digital currency ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bitcoin
First recorded in 2005–10; bit 3 ( def. ) + coin
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.
See Examples For:
Gold rose by more than 1% on the softer dollar to $4,472.20, while bitcoin edged 0.5% higher to $77,728.01.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Gain insight on Kalshi, bitcoin ETFs and more in the latest Market Talks covering financial services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Investor risk appetite has since changed, making assets like bitcoin and gold more attractive to institutional money – although bitcoin appears to have found resistance around the $80,000 mark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
And there’s another development I’m watching: Institutional investors are increasingly moving beyond bitcoin and into the broader crypto ecosystem.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Until recently, anyone who bought bitcoin after October 2024 was down on their investment.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Roughly 450 bitcoins are newly minted a day, meaning that institutions are buying approximately 2,700 BTC a day, equating to $220 million-worth using today’s price of $81,543.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
However, the company said Monday it had acquired 4,871 bitcoins for about $330 million in the five days ended April 5.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
So far this quarter, since March 2, the company has spent $1.66 billion to buy 41,362 bitcoins.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 30, 2026
In fact, it was a remote desktop application that enabled Lam and his conspirators to transfer 4,000 bitcoins to themselves, Stratton said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
He adds that the down market is probably transitory, saying that Coinbase has been repurchasing shares and buying more bitcoins while prices are low.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
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.
