Cryptocurrency

How it is used

Used in news, on exchanges and in everyday talk; people usually shorten it to crypto. You buy, sell, hold, send and receive cryptocurrency. It can be countable (a new cryptocurrency) or uncountable (payments in cryptocurrency). Regulators increasingly prefer the wider term crypto asset.

Example sentences

1. The company does not accept cryptocurrency as payment.

2. Our support team gets many questions from users who are new to cryptocurrency.

Common collocations

• buy cryptocurrency
• hold cryptocurrency
• cryptocurrency exchange
• cryptocurrency wallet
• accept cryptocurrency

Related terms

• BitcoinThe first cryptocurrency, launched in 2009 by an unknown person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. It runs on its own proof-of-work blockchain and has a maximum supply of 21 million coins.
• tokenA digital asset created on top of an existing blockchain, usually by a smart contract, rather than on its own network. Tokens can stand for money, voting rights, access to a service or a unique item.
• altcoinAny cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin. The word comes from 'alternative coin' and covers thousands of very different projects.
• crypto assetA digital asset that exists on a blockchain or a similar technology and can be stored and transferred electronically. It is the wider legal term that covers cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and other tokens.
• stablecoinA crypto token designed to keep a steady price, usually one US dollar, backed by cash and bonds, by other crypto or by an algorithm. It is used for payments, trading and moving money between platforms.

More terms: Coins & Tokens

• Ethereum
• ERC-20
• tokenomics
• airdrop
• ICO
• circulating supply
• satoshi
• mint
• burn