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
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.
Research has also found long-term exposure can result in anemia, which can leave patients feeling weak and tired; a low white blood cell count, which debilitates the immune system; and a low platelet count, which leads to excessive bleeding and bruising. Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2025 For the trial, T-cells — a disease-fighting white blood cell — were genetically engineered to fight the cancer for a process called CAR T-cell therapy. Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 18 Feb. 2025 Eosinophilic esophagitis occurs when eosinophils—a white blood cell that helps fight infections and plays a role in the body's immune response to allergies—build up in the lining of the esophagus. Lindsay Curtis, Health, 19 Jan. 2025 Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia is a slow-growing type of cancer that begins in the white blood cells, according to the Mayo Clinic. Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for white blood cell

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white blood cell was in 1852

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Cite this Entry

“White blood cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20blood%20cell. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on white blood cell

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