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 cellExamples of red blood cell in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The ideal particle size is roughly that of a red blood cell.
—
ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2025
The protein found in red blood cells that transports oxygen in the body could play a potentially game-changing—and previously overlooked—antioxidant role in the brain, according to Institute for Basic Science (IBS) researchers in South Korea.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
The Mayo Clinic states that without enough iron, the body can't produce enough hemoglobin, which enables red blood cells to carry oxygen.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
It’s caused by a parasite that infects red blood cells through the bite of a tick.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for red blood cell
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ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2025
The protein found in red blood cells that transports oxygen in the body could play a potentially game-changing—and previously overlooked—antioxidant role in the brain, according to Institute for Basic Science (IBS) researchers in South Korea.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
The Mayo Clinic states that without enough iron, the body can't produce enough hemoglobin, which enables red blood cells to carry oxygen.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
It’s caused by a parasite that infects red blood cells through the bite of a tick.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for red blood cell
Cite this Entry
“Red blood cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20blood%20cell. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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