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
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Inspired by a friend whose 18-year-old son donated stem cells to battle his lymphoma, Nick asked his doctor about the age and size requirements for a child to make a donation.
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Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Your body's blood-making stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), are like factory managers who work best when calm and rested.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
Microgravity Associated Bone Loss-B — NASA astronaut Zena Cardman prepared bone stem cell samples to be held in storage for their later return to Earth.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The Dickey-Wicker amendment, passed that same year, forbids the use of tax dollars in embryonic stem cell research.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
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Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Your body's blood-making stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), are like factory managers who work best when calm and rested.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2025
Microgravity Associated Bone Loss-B — NASA astronaut Zena Cardman prepared bone stem cell samples to be held in storage for their later return to Earth.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The Dickey-Wicker amendment, passed that same year, forbids the use of tax dollars in embryonic stem cell research.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stem cell
Cite this Entry
“Stem cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stem%20cell. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
stem cell
noun
: 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
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
Gina Kolata, DiscoverRecent 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
Darwin J. Prockop, in Essentials of Stem Cell BiologyLove words? Need even more definitions?
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