blockchain

noun

block·​chain ˈbläk-ˌchān How to pronounce blockchain (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What seemed like a low barrier for starting a company and finding investors — spurring viral storylines around 19-year-old blockchain CEOs and other such novelties — has given way to a high sense of precarity for people entering today’s arena. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026 Blockchain validators are participants that verify transactions, help secure the network and add new blocks to the blockchain. — Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026 Most obviously, if IBM is so innovative, why have its own blockchain efforts proven a bust, and why is its broader business strategy in tatters? — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026 Builders are transparent about this, while regulators like ESMA and SEC's Hester Peirce warn of investor misunderstanding, emphasizing that tokenized securities remain securities without magical blockchain properties. — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for blockchain

Word History

First Known Use

2011, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of blockchain was in 2011

Rhymes for blockchain

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Browse Nearby Words

block-caving
blockchain
block chords
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Cite this Entry

“Blockchain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blockchain. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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