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

Symptoms of the disorder, in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be made, include dizziness and fever. — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Your immune system needs iron to fight infections, and your body uses iron to make hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to other organs and tissues. — Anahad O’Connor, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026

Coupled with lower levels of hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein in red blood cells that gives blood its color, this can lead to the appearance of dark circles. — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 19 Aug. 2026

This supplement is an important micronutrient that helps the body create red blood cells and is essential in maintaining a woman’s health. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for red blood cell

• bagatelle
• calomel
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• coronel
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle

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