nerve cell

noun

1

: a grayish or reddish granular cell with specialized processes that is the fundamental functional unit of nervous tissue transmitting and receiving nerve impulses : neuron

2

: cell body

Examples of nerve cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Normally, serotonin released between nerve cells is reabsorbed back into the sending cell, but SSRIs partially block that reabsorption process, allowing more serotonin to remain available for communication between brain cells. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 23 June 2026

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, which uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain, has also been trialled for efficacy. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Amy Turner LaDow, of Valparaiso, is a sixth-generation carrier of Huntington’s Disease, a condition that causes nerve cells in the brain to decay, according to the Mayo Clinic. — Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026

According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE causes the death of nerve cells in the brain, and the only way to definitively diagnose it is after death during an autopsy of the brain. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nerve cell

• bagatelle
• calomel
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• coronel
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle

Kids Definition

nerve cell

noun

: neuron

also : cell body

Medical Definition

nerve cell

noun

1

: a grayish or reddish granular cell with specialized processes that is the fundamental functional unit of nervous tissue : neuron

2

: cell body