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

Donovan was first diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a strain of the disease that starts in white blood cells and affects bone marrow, in 2000. —CBS News, 26 Oct. 2024

Strengthening the immune system by supporting the action of white blood cells to fight viruses and bacteria. —Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 2 Aug. 2024

This liquid, now called lymph, flows through your nodes, which, again, act as filters, trapping suspicious components and deploying an army of white blood cells against them. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Oct. 2024

The tonsils contain a plethora of white blood cells that help your body fight off infection and disease, according to Cleveland Clinic. —Caroline C. Boyle, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

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