platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: a minute flattened body (as of ice or a mineral)

especially : a minute colorless disklike body of mammalian blood that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium

called also blood platelet, thrombocyte

Examples of platelet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Meet the man on a mission to donate platelets to every American Red Cross donation center in the nation. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 19 July 2025

Tests showed Ava had low platelet counts, low blood cell counts, high liver enzymes and low blood pressure, according to the release. —Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2025

Ars Video Lab results showed that his blood had abnormally high concentrations of red and white blood cells, and low levels of platelets. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025

Shay was diagnosed with preeclampsia and later HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count) and later postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder. —David Oliver, USA Today, 22 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing platelet

• blood platelet

Rhymes for platelet

• antiplatelet

Kids Definition

platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: one of the tiny colorless disk-shaped bodies of the blood of mammals that assist in blood clotting

Medical Definition

platelet

noun

plate·​let ˈplāt-lət 

: a minute colorless anucleate disklike body of mammalian blood that is derived from fragments of megakaryocyte cytoplasm, that is released from the bone marrow into the blood, and that assists in blood clotting by adhering to other platelets and to damaged epithelium

called also blood platelet, thrombocyte