cell

noun

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\ ˈsel

Definition of cell

1 : a small religious house dependent on a monastery or convent

2a : a one-room dwelling occupied by a solitary person (such as a hermit)

b : a single room (as in a convent or prison) usually for one person

3 : a small compartment, cavity, or bounded space: such as

a : one of the compartments of a honeycomb

b : a membranous area bounded by veins in the wing of an insect

4 : a small usually microscopic mass of protoplasm bounded externally by a semipermeable membrane, usually including one or more nuclei and various other organelles with their products, capable alone or interacting with other cells of performing all the fundamental functions of life, and forming the smallest structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently

5a(1) : a receptacle containing electrodes and an electrolyte either for generating electricity by chemical action or for use in electrolysis

(2) : fuel cell

b : a single unit in a device for converting radiant energy into electrical energy or for varying the intensity of an electrical current in accordance with radiation (see radiation sense 1)

6 : a unit in a statistical array (see array entry 2 sense 5) (such as a spreadsheet) formed by the intersection of a column and a row

7 : a basic and usually small unit of an organization or movement terrorist cells

8 : a portion of the atmosphere that behaves as a unit a storm cell

9a : any of the small sections of a geographic area of a cellular (see cellular entry 1 sense 3) telephone system

b : cell phone

Other Words from cell Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing cell Learn More About cell

Examples of cell in a Sentence

The suspect was in the police station's holding cell overnight. his mission was to locate and infiltrate the terrorist cell that was believed to be hiding in the city

Recent Examples on the Web Her mother, Elinor Couric, was also diagnosed with mantle cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma before her death from pneumonia in 2014, while her father, John Couric, was diagnosed with prostate cancer prior to his 2011 death from Parkinson's. — Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2022 No one ventured a guess as to when power, water and cell service would be restored. — Linda Robertson, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Oct. 2022 Ultima’s machine design has replaced the traditional flow cell with a round silicon wafer just under seven inches in diameter. — WIRED, 30 Sep. 2022 Officials indicated to the LA Times that Escobar and Walsh died while climbing a rockface and the incident was reported by witnesses who managed to find cell reception in the remote area. — Dan Carson, Chron, 30 Sep. 2022 Quake has made important discoveries in microfluidics which led to rapid advances in noninvasive testing and single cell sequencing, and Pendlebury sees him as a favorite for a physics Nobel. — Megan Molteni, STAT, 30 Sep. 2022 Roughly two-thirds of cell sites were offline in Hardee and Hendry counties in Central Florida and Lee County along the Gulf Coast as of noon Thursday Eastern Time, according to the Federal Communications Commission. — Drew Fitzgerald, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2022 This year isn’t the first time the beauty industry has zeroed in on skin cell energy. — Katie Becker, ELLE, 29 Sep. 2022 Unlike all other cell types, neurons do not increase tissue volume by cell division but rather by expanding the volume of the cells themselves. — Jeffrey M. Rodgers, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cell.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near cell

celite

cell

cella

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Last Updated

5 Oct 2022

Cite this Entry

“Cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cell. Accessed 7 Oct. 2022.

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More Definitions for cell

cell

noun

\ ˈsel

Kids Definition of cell

1 : a very small room (as in a prison or a monastery)

2 : the basic structural unit of living things that is made up of cytoplasm enclosed by a membrane and that typically includes a nucleus and other smaller parts (as mitochondria or chloroplasts) which perform specific functions necessary for life

3 : a small enclosed part or division (as in a honeycomb)

4 : a container with substances which can produce an electric current by chemical action

5 : a device that converts light (as sunlight) that falls on it into electrical energy that is used as a power source

6 : cell phone

cell

noun

\ ˈsel

Medical Definition of cell

1 : a small compartment or bounded space

2 : a small usually microscopic mass of protoplasm bounded externally by a semipermeable membrane, usually including one or more nuclei and various nonliving products, capable alone or interacting with other cells of performing all the fundamental functions of life, and forming the smallest structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently