white blood cell

noun

: any of the blood cells that are colorless, lack hemoglobin, contain a nucleus, and include the lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils

called also leukocyte, white blood corpuscle, white cell

compare red blood cell

Examples of white blood cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hogan's history of leukemia, a form of cancer that affects white blood cells, was not previously known. —Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 20 Nov. 2025

To determine the causal link between Epstein-Barr and lupus, Robinson and his co-authors focused on B cells — white blood cells that help fight off infections. —Aria Bendix, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025

Scientists have found that billions of B cells—a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies to fight pathogens—are affected when a person is infected with the virus. —Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 12 Nov. 2025

Voclosporin is a next-generation calcineurin inhibitor (CNI), a class of drugs that suppresses the immune system by blocking calcineurin, an enzyme required for activating T-cells—a type of white blood cell central to immune responses. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white blood cell

• mademoiselle
• materiel
• subparallel
• antiparallel
• antipersonnel
• bagatelle
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal

Kids Definition

white blood cell

noun

: a colorless blood cell (as a lymphocyte) that lacks hemoglobin and contains a nucleus

called also leukocyte, white blood corpuscle, white cell, white corpuscle

Medical Definition

white blood cell

noun

: any of the blood cells of the immune system that are colorless, lack hemoglobin, contain a nucleus, and include the lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils along with their precursors and derivatives (as macrophages) : leukocyte

—abbreviation WBC

called also white blood corpuscle, white cell, white corpuscle

compare red blood cell