immune system

noun

Definition of immune system

: the bodily system that protects the body from foreign substances, cells, and tissues by producing the immune response and that includes especially the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, special deposits of lymphoid tissue (as in the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow), macrophages, lymphocytes including the B cells and T cells, and antibodies

Examples of immune system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The sooner it is diagnosed, the sooner doctors can start antibiotics and fluids in an effort to get the infection under control before the body’s immune system goes into overdrive. — Derek Angus, STAT, "Current efforts to fight sepsis aren’t working. We need a bolder approach," 14 June 2018 Perkins’ immune system was already trying to fight off the tumors that had spread across her torso. — NBC News, "Highly personalized treatment saves breast cancer patient," 4 June 2018 The truce ends at birth, or shortly before, when the infant’s immune system starts to work. — New York Times, "Five Blood Transfusions, One Bone Marrow Transplant — All Before Birth," 25 May 2018 The trial, led by medical oncologist Dr. Breelyn Wilky, tested the effectiveness of immunotherapy, drugs that boost the immune system to fight cancer. — Julie Landry Laviolette, miamiherald, "Most of her sarcoma tumors melted away with this clinical trial treatment," 23 May 2018 But while this response in the country boys waned after five minutes, the city boys' immune systems stayed on high alert for at least two hours. — Melissa Healy, latimes.com, "Does exposure to animals during childhood buffer the body's response to stress as adults?," 1 May 2018 That’s because a pandemic is when a new strain is introduced to the population that immune systems have not yet seen before. — Cassie Cope, charlotteobserver, "NC flu deaths rise to the most in at least a decade. Here’s why this season is so bad. | Charlotte Observer," 8 Mar. 2018 There’s helpful inflammation, as when your body’s immune system mounts a response to bacteria in a cut. — Eliza Barclay, Vox, "The growth of yoga and meditation in the US since 2012 is remarkable," 11 Nov. 2018 Scientists said the information could help explain, for example, whether internal factors such as inbreeding or genetic variation in immune systems are preventing the whales from rebounding. — Phuong Le, The Seattle Times, "Scientists to sequence genes of struggling southern-resident orca whales," 5 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immune system.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

20 Jan 2019

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The first known use of immune system was circa 1919

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More Definitions for immune system

immune system

noun

English Language Learners Definition of immune system

: the system that protects your body from diseases and infections

See the full definition for immune system in the English Language Learners Dictionary

immune system

noun

Kids Definition of immune system

: the system of the body that fights infection and disease and that includes especially the white blood cells and antibodies and the organs that produce them

immune system

noun

Medical Definition of immune system

: the bodily system that protects the body from foreign substances, cells, and tissues by producing the immune response and that includes especially the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, special deposits of lymphoid tissue (as in the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow), lymphocytes including the B cells and T cells, and antibodies