BitTorrent

British

/ ˈbɪtˌtɒrənt /

noun

a file transfer protocol which enables users to upload and download large files on the internet in the form of software, games, film, video, music, etc, from other users rather than from a central server

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of BitTorrent

C21: from _bit ³ (sense 1) + _torrent , the name used in this system for a file that allows the data to be downloaded

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.

They alleged that Cox’s subscribers infringed their copyrights in sound recordings and musical compositions by copying and distributing them via BitTorrent and other networks.

From Slate • Nov. 28, 2025

The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Sun and his crypto companies — Tron Foundation, BitTorrent Foundation and Rainberry — in March 2023, Reuters reported.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2025

In 2007, Comcast was caught degrading traffic from the file-sharing service BitTorrent, which held contracts to distribute licensed content from Hollywood studios and other sources in direct competition with Comcast’s pay-TV business.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2024

But according to the S.E.C.’s complaint, his companies — Tron Foundation, BitTorrent Foundation and Rainberry — offered cryptocurrencies that were not properly registered.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2023

He later founded Tron, a blockchain platform that boasts tens of millions of users, and owns BitTorrent, a popular file-sharing service.

From Washington Post • Dec. 22, 2021

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