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

Even that has been hard to tolerate; she’s had to skip doses because of low white blood cell counts, Alimonti said. —Arthur Allen, Miami Herald, 4 June 2025

The treatment is an immunotherapy that harvests a patient’s T-cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body’s immune system fight disease. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 14 May 2025

On that 1997 ferry ride from Vancouver to Vancouver Island, a remark from a colleague led Hauser to laboratory investigations that upended scientists’ belief that T-type white blood cells wrought most of the neurological damage from MS. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2025

Ars Video Lab results showed that his blood had abnormally high concentrations of red and white blood cells, and low levels of platelets. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white blood cell

• mademoiselle
• materiel
• subparallel
• antiparallel
• antipersonnel
• bagatelle
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal

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