cytoplasm

noun

cy·​to·​plasm ˈsī-tə-ˌpla-zəm 

: the organized complex of inorganic and organic substances external to the nuclear membrane of a cell and including the cytosol and membrane-bound organelles (such as mitochondria or chloroplasts) see cell illustration

cytoplasmic

ˌsī-tə-ˈplaz-mik 

adjective

cytoplasmically

ˌsī-tə-ˈplaz-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of cytoplasm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Glass, an obvious red line is for scientists to refrain from making a mirror ribosome, a biological machine found in a cell’s cytoplasm that makes proteins. —Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025

It is activated when a cell signals the presence of stray DNA in its cytoplasm and releases a sensor protein called cGAS. —New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2025

During this period, the cell moves many enzymes (opens a new tab) from the cytoplasm and mitochondria to the nucleus. —Viviane Callier, Quanta Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025

When Giger punctured the fungal cell with the microneedle, cytoplasm came rushing out like water from a burst dam. —Molly Herring, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cytoplasm

• chiasm
• germplasm
• phantasm
• sarcasm
• bronchospasm
• ectoplasm
• neoplasm
• protoplasm
• vasospasm
• chasm
• plasm
• spasm

Kids Definition

cytoplasm

noun

cy·​to·​plasm ˈsīt-ə-ˌplaz-əm 

: the part of a cell outside the nucleus that includes a fluidlike substance and organelles (as chloroplasts and mitochondria)

cytoplasmic

ˌsīt-ə-ˈplaz-mik 

adjective

Medical Definition

cytoplasm

noun

cy·​to·​plasm ˈsīt-ə-ˌplaz-əm 

: the organized complex of inorganic and organic substances external to the nuclear membrane of a cell and including the cytosol and membrane-bound organelles (as mitochondria or chloroplasts)

cytoplasmic

ˌsīt-ə-ˈplaz-mik 

adjective

cytoplasmically

-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb