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

Power Reds This type of donation collects two units of red blood cells while returning plasma, platelets, and saline back to your body. — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Iron Iron is a mineral your body uses to make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to tissues throughout your body. — Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 4 Aug. 2026

The latest blood tests show Jackie is still anemic, but one measure of her red blood cell count has improved to 17%, according to the Ojai Raptor Center. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026

The therapy can also boost red blood cell production enough to raise the risk of a blood clot or pulmonary embolism. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 29 July 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