white blood cells

Cultural

Colorless cells in the blood that help combat infection. Some white blood cells act as scavengers by engulfing foreign particles (such as bacteria) and destroying them. Others produce antibodies or destroy dead cells. (See AIDS.)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Lymphocytes are white blood cells that help direct the adaptive immune response.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

At the age of 3, he was diagnosed with leukemia: a cancer that causes the body to produce too many abnormal white blood cells.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

In this case, the virus has been modified to replicate only inside tumor cells, causing them to burst, while simultaneously triggering a more aggressive immune response from the body’s own white blood cells.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Mantle cell lymphoma is rare and affects white blood cells called B lymphocytes.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Because his white blood cells can identify and destroy the infected cells, this man doesn’t get sick.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023