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
Romaine lettuce also contains vitamin A, C, potassium and folate, which is especially good for cell repair and red blood cell formation.
—
Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Once in the body, CO molecules hijack your red blood cells, overpowering oxygen in the bloodstream and shutting off critical O2 supply to the brain, heart and other organs.
—New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2025
Endurance athletes typically go down for erythropoietin (EPO), which boosts the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the body, or for biological passport violations related to blood doping, which involves injecting extra blood (either your own or someone else’s) to get more red blood cells.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 25 July 2025
Most significantly, doctors use it to treat a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia, in which hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, takes on a different form that can’t do the job.
—Lorne J. Hofseth, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for red blood cell
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Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Once in the body, CO molecules hijack your red blood cells, overpowering oxygen in the bloodstream and shutting off critical O2 supply to the brain, heart and other organs.
—New Atlas, 13 Aug. 2025
Endurance athletes typically go down for erythropoietin (EPO), which boosts the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the body, or for biological passport violations related to blood doping, which involves injecting extra blood (either your own or someone else’s) to get more red blood cells.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 25 July 2025
Most significantly, doctors use it to treat a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia, in which hemoglobin, an iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, takes on a different form that can’t do the job.
—Lorne J. Hofseth, The Conversation, 3 June 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 31 Aug. 2025.
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