bitcoin

[ bit-koin ]

noun

1. Often Bitcoin. the first widely established cryptocurrency, which uses state-of-the-art cryptography, can be issued in any fractional denomination, and has a decentralized distribution system: altcoin ( def ).

   Increasing numbers of stores and online businesses accept Bitcoin.

2. a single unit of bitcoin, the first widely established cryptocurrency:

   The value of a bitcoin has sometimes surpassed the value of an ounce of gold.

Usage Note

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bitcoin¹

First recorded in 2005–10; bit ³( def ) + coin none

Example Sentences

At a Bitcoin conference in July, Trump said he would make the US "the crypto capital of the planet".

From BBC

Separately, MicroStrategy, the software company with immense Bitcoin reserves, has raised more than $7 billion in recent weeks to add to its holdings of the cryptocurrency.

From New York Times

Bulls are daring to dream of $100,000 Bitcoin, as well as more far out possibilities including the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve.

From New York Times

James Howells, 39, has been trying to retrieve the hard drive containing his lost Bitcoin fortune, which he believes is in a Newport landfill site, for over a decade.

From BBC

In April 2022, the German federal police, acting on information from their American colleagues, seized the servers hosting Hydra, replacing its banner with their logo and retrieving $25 million in Bitcoin.

From Salon