virtual currency

American  

[vur-choo-uhl kur-uhn-see, kuhr-] / ˈvɜr tʃu əl ˈkɜr ən si, ˈkʌr- /

noun

1. an unregulated currency available only in electronic form that is issued and controlled by its developers and usually used within a specific online community.

   The game is free to play, but you must make purchases in the app if you want virtual currency to spend.

   As a virtual currency, bitcoin has less stability than a currency issued by a central bank.

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Usage

What's the difference between cryptocurrency, virtual currency, and digital currency? See digital currency ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of virtual currency

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

But many believe that with its limited supply, the virtual currency will bounce back.

From MarketWatch

Bitcoin was taking a breather from its recent brutal decline on Friday, with the pioneering virtual currency’s price up 11% to $70,647, according to data provided by CoinDesk.

From MarketWatch

But the recent action for bitcoin should lead to some deep thinking, especially for investors who might still be sitting on huge gains for their holdings of the virtual currency.

From MarketWatch

Quentin Fottrell — the Moneyist — wrote about a different type of fallout from the virtual currency’s decline — the cost to borrowers who borrowed against the value of their bitcoin.

From MarketWatch

Blanche, the second-highest-ranking official at the Justice Department, signed an ethics agreement in February promising to dump his cryptocurrency within 90 days of his confirmation and not to participate in any matter that could have a “direct and predictable effect on my financial interests in the virtual currency” until his bitcoin and other crypto-related products were sold.

From Salon