red blood cell

noun

variants or less commonly red blood corpuscle or red cell or red corpuscle

: any of the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen to the tissues and in mammals are typically biconcave disks which lack a nucleus and cellular organelles and are formed from nucleated cells of the red bone marrow

Note: The number of red blood cells ranges from four to six million in each cubic millimeter of normal human blood. The red color of blood is due to the presence of hemoglobin within the red blood cells.

called also erythrocyte

compare white blood cell

Examples of red blood cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Low iron can cause iron deficiency anemia (IDA), a condition where your body can’t make enough healthy red blood cells. —Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2025

Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. —Lauren O'Connor, Health, 23 Oct. 2025

In addition, fatigue could indicate anemia or low red blood cell counts. —Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

Gilbert’s syndrome is not a liver disease, but does mean that the organ has trouble processing bilirubin, a yellow pigment produced when red blood cells are broken down. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for red blood cell

• bagatelle
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel

Kids Definition

red blood cell

noun

: a reddish cell of the blood that contains hemoglobin and carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues

called also erythrocyte, red blood corpuscle, red cell, red corpuscle

Medical Definition

red blood cell

noun

: any of the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen to the tissues and are responsible for the red color of vertebrate blood

called also erythrocyte, red blood corpuscle, red cell, red corpuscle

compare white blood cell