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 Iron is an essential mineral needed to make hemoglobin, the protein found in red blood cells that transports oxygen. —Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 4 Feb. 2026

The New Jersey Department of Health said the state has less than a one-week supply of red blood cells and less than a day's supply of platelets. —Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026

This technology shows that both storage time and biological differences between donors affect red blood cell quality. —Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 29 Jan. 2026

This is a condition where the body can't make enough proteins in red blood cells (called hemoglobin) to carry oxygen through the body. —Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 29 Jan. 2026

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