red blood cell

variants: or less commonly red blood corpuscle or red cell or red corpuscle

Definition of red blood cell

: 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 Hydroxychloroquine is an arthritis medicine that also can be used as a preventive or treatment for malaria, a red blood cell infection transmitted by a mosquito bite, according to the Mayo Clinic. — Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY, "Trump COVID-19 treatment: President had stakes in Regeneron and Gilead, makers of antibody cocktail, Remdesivir," 3 Oct. 2020 Portions of one of them, a burrow more than 250 million years old, were scanned finely enough to resolve details as narrow as a human red blood cell. — National Geographic, "DINOSAURS," 15 Sep. 2020 Moreover, a study of the effects of low frequency magnetic fields on the white- and red blood cell levels of welders did not find a clinically significant difference between the welders and the control group. — Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, "Fact check: A magnetic shield will not protect cellphone users from EMF radiation," 13 July 2020 Universal red blood cell donors are those with an O negative blood type because their blood can is usable in transfusions in patients with any blood type. — Julie Washington, cleveland, "What is a blood type, and why it might matter if you get the coronavirus?," 30 June 2020 As a result, the red blood cell hemoglobin can extract more lifesaving oxygen and move it into the general circulation. — The Conversation, oregonlive, "The science behind why this is the safest way to breathe to avoid coronavirus," 19 June 2020 As a result, the red blood cell hemoglobin can extract more lifesaving oxygen and move it into the general circulation. — The Conversation, "The right way to breathe during the coronavirus pandemic," 19 June 2020 Donors can give whole blood — the plasma is separated out later — or donate plasma through a process called apheresis collection which separates out the plasma and puts red blood cells back into the donor’s body. — Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, "Nearly a third of Alaska’s COVID-19 patients have recovered. Their plasma could heal others.," 14 Apr. 2020 The drugs can also lead to hemolytic anemia among people with a common genetic condition that prompts red blood cells to break down faster than they can be made. — Los Angeles Times, "Rita Wilson took chloroquine to fight COVID-19 and didn’t like what it did to her," 14 Apr. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'red blood cell.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

22 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Red blood cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red%20blood%20cell. Accessed 27 Nov. 2020.

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More Definitions for red blood cell

red blood cell

noun