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 cell

Examples of red blood cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Iron is important for growth, development, and red blood cell production. —Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 25 Sep. 2025

Folic acid is important for helping the body make DNA and red blood cells, hair and nail cells, skin cells, and others throughout the body. —Alice Park, Time, 23 Sep. 2025

Garlic, onions, and related plants can damage red blood cells and lead to anemia. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025

According to Mayo Clinic, leucovorin is primarily used to combat the negative effects of a cancer medicine and treat certain kinds of anemia, or a deficiency in red blood cells. —Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for red blood cell

• bagatelle
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel

Kids Definition

red blood cell

noun

: a reddish cell of the blood that contains hemoglobin and carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues

called also erythrocyte, red blood corpuscle, red cell, red corpuscle

Medical Definition

red blood cell

noun

: any of the hemoglobin-containing cells that carry oxygen to the tissues and are responsible for the red color of vertebrate blood

called also erythrocyte, red blood corpuscle, red cell, red corpuscle

compare white blood cell