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DeFi

American

[dee-fahy] / ˈdiˌfaɪ /

noun

decentralized finance: financial services, functions, or applications that rely on a blockchain and are typically unregulated by any financial institution.

Etymology

Origin of DeFi

First recorded in 2015–20

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.

“It would be bad for DeFi and crypto overall if there was a big hole that scared a lot of what is now coming from fintechs and institutions.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

While digital credit does exist in the form of lending from DeFi firms, institutional leverage hasn’t made its way into using bitcoin as a vehicle for lending.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

This does not reflect traditional consumer borrowing, but rather crypto holders using digital assets as collateral as DeFi credit markets grow in size and activity.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 6, 2026

DeFi promises anonymity, cheap conversion into stablecoins, and ownership structures opaque enough to frustrate enforcement.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

In recent years, however, there has been a steady migration of crypto activity to DeFi.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

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