peer-to-peer

American

[peer-tuh-peer] / ˈpɪər təˈpɪər /

adjective

involving direct contact or exchange between individuals of a similar rank or position; person-to-person: P2P

Studies have shown that peer-to-peer tutoring increases student performance across a range of subjects.
describing a computer network in which each node has the capacity to act as a server for all other nodes, allowing the exchange of information without a centralized server. P2P

peer-to-peer British

adjective

P2P. (of a computer network) designed so that computers can send information directly to one another without passing through a centralized server

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of peer-to-peer

First recorded in 1960–65

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.

The Cash App segment includes the financial tools available to individuals within the mobile Cash App, including peer-to-peer payments, bitcoin and stock investments.

From MarketWatch

Luxury goods are being resold by livestream on social-media platforms, through Shopify accounts and peer-to-peer resale sites like Vestiaire Collective where image-conscious brands have no control over how their goods are shown.

From The Wall Street Journal

If settlement moves on-chain and peer-to-peer, centralized clearing and post-trade processes become less central — threatening a whole layer of traditional capital-markets infrastructure.

From MarketWatch

By the end of the third quarter, nearly $41 billion in loans were outstanding on DeFi platforms — anonymous peer-to-peer financial services available — the highest quarter-end level on record and up about 55% in just one quarter.

From MarketWatch

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