blockchain
Americannoun
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a structure used for a distributed or shared database consisting of discrete blocks of data, with each new block secured and connected to earlier ones by cryptography: used to create digital ledgers for cryptocurrency systems, among other things.
Several schools now offer courses in the technology behind blockchain.
Under the scheme, farmers would add information about their produce to a blockchain database that could quickly pinpoint contamination.
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a distributed or shared database created and populated using a structure consisting of discrete blocks of data, with each new block secured and connected to earlier ones by cryptography.
Once the transaction gets verified, it's recorded in the blockchain.
Etymology
Origin of blockchain
First recorded in 2010–15; block ( def. ) + chain ( def. )
Explanation
A blockchain is a shared computer database that's mainly used for keeping records of cryptocurrency transactions. When someone buys or sells Bitcoin, they use a blockchain to safely record the details. A blockchain works like a shared spreadsheet, with data entered into separate cells or columns. The special thing about blockchain is that once information is put into each block, it can't be changed, making it an extremely secure way to store data. The name blockchain comes from the blocks of data, linked together in chains through cryptography.
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.
Cody Carbone is chief executive officer of the Digital Chamber, a blockchain and digital-asset trade association.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Crypto in A7’s operations functions as a channel for actors who have been excluded from conventional banking—and have few alternatives,” TRM Labs, a U.S.-based blockchain analytics firm, said in a report in June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
O’Leary: I talk to S&P 500 companies all the time, and I ask every one of them: Are you planning to use blockchain for inventory, logistics, contract management?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Tokenization allows investors to own fractions of an asset, rather than the whole thing, and blockchain hosting — theoretically, at least — enables payment, settlement, change of ownership and custody on a digital ledger.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
There are two ways companies are typically putting stocks on the blockchain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 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.
