blockchain

noun

block·​chain ˈbläk-ˌchān 

: a digital database containing information (such as records of financial transactions) that can be simultaneously used and shared within a large decentralized, publicly accessible network

also : the technology used to create such a database

The technology at the heart of bitcoin and other virtual currencies, blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way.

—Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani

Examples of blockchain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shopify has begun allowing merchants to accept USDC payments, and Western Union just announced plans to offer a stablecoin on the Solana blockchain. —Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026

Non-fungible tokens, known as NFTs, are electronic identifiers confirming a digital collectible is real by recording the details on a digital ledger known as a blockchain. —ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026

This approach involves sharing control of a blockchain, which is a digital ledger used to track transactions, among a small group of institutions rather than a single entity or the general public. —Gary Skuse, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2026

The AQRe Project replaces this outdated model with a digital blockchain system that provides real-time traceability. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2011, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for blockchain

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• butane
• campaign
• cetane