DeFi

American

[dee-fahy] / ˈdiˌfaɪ /

noun

decentralized finance: financial services, functions, or applications that rely on a blockchain and are typically unregulated by any financial institution.

Etymology

Origin of DeFi

First recorded in 2015–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“You don’t need to wait until Monday for markets to open and everyone to move,” said Hyunsu Jung, chief executive of crypto firm Hyperion DeFi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

This does not reflect traditional consumer borrowing, but rather crypto holders using digital assets as collateral as DeFi credit markets grow in size and activity.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 6, 2026

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong cited issues with the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, including a ban on tokenized equities and DeFi prohibitions.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

The entity was billed as a decentralized finance, or DeFi, project that would help match crypto investors eager to borrow and lend from, and trade with, one another.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

When stablecoins are deposited into Coinbase’s lending program, they are routed to Morpho, a DeFi platform where borrowers post cryptocurrency collateral in order to borrow stablecoins.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 6, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023