immune system

noun

: the bodily system that protects the body from foreign substances, cells, and tissues by producing the immune response and that includes especially the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, special deposits of lymphoid tissue (as in the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow), macrophages, lymphocytes including the B cells and T cells, and antibodies

Examples of immune system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For four weeks, he was monitored at Holtz to make sure everything went well and to keep him safe as his immune system recovered. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025 In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025 It is considered a serious condition and can be dangerous or life-threatening, especially to older adults, people with weak immune systems, and pregnant women. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 19 June 2025 Exposure to wildfire smoke can cause inflammation and weaken the immune system, particularly when its particles penetrate the lungs and the bloodstream. Evan Bush, NBC news, 12 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for immune system

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of immune system was circa 1919

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Cite this Entry

“Immune system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/immune%20system. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

immune system

noun
: the bodily system that protects the body from foreign substances, cells, and tissues by producing the immune response and that includes especially the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, lymphocytes, and antibodies

Medical Definition

immune system

noun
: the bodily system that protects the body from foreign substances, cells, and tissues by producing the immune response and that includes especially the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, special deposits of lymphoid tissue (as in the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow), lymphocytes including the B cells and T cells, and antibodies

More from Merriam-Webster on immune system

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