encrypt

American  

[en-kript] / ɛnˈkrɪpt /

verb (used with object)

1. to convert (a message or the like) into cipher or code.

   The letter was encrypted before being mailed to protect it from any prying eyes.

2. Computers. to change (digital data) into a form that cannot be read without converting it back using a unique key.

   The protocol encrypts all of your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address, so that it cannot be stolen.

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encrypt British  

/ ɪnˈkrɪpt /

verb

1. to put (a message) into code

2. to put (computer data) into a coded form

3. to distort (a television or other signal) so that it cannot be understood without the appropriate decryption equipment

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encrypt Scientific  

/ ĕn-krĭpt /

1. To alter information using a code or mathematical algorithm so as to be unintelligible to unauthorized readers.

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Other Word Forms

• encryptation noun
• encrypted adjective
• encryption noun

Etymology

Origin of encrypt

First recorded in 1940–45; en- ¹ + -crypt (abstracted from cryptic ( def. ), cryptography ( def. ), etc.), modeled on encode ( def. )

Example Sentences

People browse the internet with VPNs and cookie-blockers and encrypted connections not because they truly believe the government is personally watching them, though that possibility is less remote for some people than for others.

From Salon

After a shooting in L.A.’s Fashion District, detectives sifted through encrypted messages to track down a sophisticated but clumsy band of thieves.

From Los Angeles Times

The bulk of the response to ICE actions, however, is being organized in neighborhood-level chats in Signal, an encrypted messaging app.,

From Salon

The data may be encrypted to fend off hackers, but the companies can decrypt and, if presented with a warrant, share it.

From The Wall Street Journal

A VPN is a service that creates an encrypted connection between your device and the internet, routing your traffic through a secure server.

From Salon

Related Words

• encipher