stem cell

noun

: an unspecialized cell that gives rise to differentiated cells

hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow

Examples of stem cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a new study, the team grew miniature human spinal cords from induced pluripotent stem cells and then deliberately injured them to replicate key features of traumatic spinal cord damage. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Feb. 2026

If matched, most donors can give stem cells through a process similar to donating blood -- a small act that can mean everything to someone else. —Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026

According to Yun, researchers might someday tweak human stem cells to emulate the axolotl and recover thymus function. —Taylor Mitchell Brown, Scientific American, 14 Feb. 2026

To overcome that issue, a team at University of California, San Francisco grew cortical organoids from human stem cells alongside separate organoids made of blood-vessel cells. —The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stem cell

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel

Kids Definition

stem cell

noun

: a simple cell that can become a cell (as a blood cell or skin cell) with a special function

Medical Definition

stem cell

noun

ˈstem- 

: an unspecialized cell capable of perpetuating itself through cell division and having the potential to give rise to differentiated cells with specialized functions

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst stage of the embryo.

—Carrie J. Merkle, in Essentials of Pathophysiology

… picture the bone marrow as a blood cell factory that takes a single type of precursor cell, or stem cell, and modifies it in various ways to produce all the cells that circulate in the blood.

—Gina Kolata, Discover

Recent observations are providing increasing evidence for the concept that adult stem cells are part of a natural system for tissue repair.

—Darwin J. Prockop, in Essentials of Stem Cell Biology