- a nontechnical name for leucocyte
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ˈwhite ˈblood ˌcell, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Anatomy, Immunologya nearly colorless blood cell that fights disease-carrying organisms.
white′ blood′ cell′,
- Anatomy, Immunologyany of various nearly colorless cells of the immune system that circulate mainly in the blood and lymph and participate in reactions to invading microorganisms or foreign particles, comprising the B cells, T cells, macrophages, monocytes, and granulocytes. Also called leukocyte, white′ blood′ cor′puscle, white corpuscle, white′ cell′.
- 1885–90
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'white blood cell' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
basophil
- granulocyte
- killer cell
- leucocyte
- leuko-
- leukocyte
- lymphocyte
- macrophage
- monocyte
- neutrophil
- phagocytosis
- white corpuscle