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
Iron is an essential mineral necessary to make hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body.
—
Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 10 June 2026
This rare condition, which mostly impacts children, occurs when bacterial toxins spread throughout the body and damage red blood cells, causing clots in the organs, primarily the kidneys.
—Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
By Sebastian Smee The meanings of words such as honor, sacrifice, and humility have been leaking away from American civic life like red blood cells from an anemic.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
Your body needs folate to repair DNA and make red blood cells that carry oxygen.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 4 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for red blood cell
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Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 10 June 2026
This rare condition, which mostly impacts children, occurs when bacterial toxins spread throughout the body and damage red blood cells, causing clots in the organs, primarily the kidneys.
—Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
By Sebastian Smee The meanings of words such as honor, sacrifice, and humility have been leaking away from American civic life like red blood cells from an anemic.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
Your body needs folate to repair DNA and make red blood cells that carry oxygen.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 4 June 2026
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 14 Jun. 2026.
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