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 supports brain development and helps make healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen through the body.
—
Brandi Jones, Verywell Health, 6 May 2025
Thanks to a phenomenon called the Bohr effect, rising acidity reduces the ability of your red blood cells to ferry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, including your brain.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2025
In high enough doses, benzene can break the body’s ability to create red blood cells, raising the risk of developing conditions akin to leukemia.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 17 Mar. 2025
The research started back in 2017 where the team found HSCs in the lungs of mice which were capable of making red blood cells, as well as white blood cells which help with fighting infections and healing and also cells which produce platelets.
—Victoria Forster, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for red blood cell
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Brandi Jones, Verywell Health, 6 May 2025
Thanks to a phenomenon called the Bohr effect, rising acidity reduces the ability of your red blood cells to ferry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body, including your brain.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2025
In high enough doses, benzene can break the body’s ability to create red blood cells, raising the risk of developing conditions akin to leukemia.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 17 Mar. 2025
The research started back in 2017 where the team found HSCs in the lungs of mice which were capable of making red blood cells, as well as white blood cells which help with fighting infections and healing and also cells which produce platelets.
—Victoria Forster, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
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 18 May. 2025.
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