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cytoskeleton

American  
[sahy-tuh-skel-i-tn] / ˌsaɪ təˈskɛl ɪ tn /

noun

Cell Biology.

  1. a shifting lattice arrangement of structural and contractile components distributed throughout the cell cytoplasm, composed of microtubules, microfilaments, and larger filaments, functioning as a structural support and transport mechanism.

cytoskeleton British  
/ ˈsaɪtəʊˌskɛlɪtən /

noun

  1. a network of fibrous proteins that governs the shape and movement of a biological cell

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cytoskeleton Scientific  
/ sī′tə-skĕl′ĭ-tn /

  1. The internal framework of a cell, composed of a network of protein filaments and extending throughout the fluid of the cell (the cytosol). The cytoskeleton consists mainly of actin filaments and microtubules and plays an important role in cell movement, shape, growth, division, and differentiation, as well as in the movement of organelles within the cell. All eukaryotic cells have a cytoskeleton.

cytoskeleton Cultural  

  1. The inner structural elements, or backbone, of a cell. It consists of microtubules and various filaments that spread out through the cytoplasm, providing both structural support and a means of transport within the cell.

Other Word Forms

  • cytoskeletal adjective

Etymology

Origin of cytoskeleton

cyto- + skeleton

Vocabulary lists containing cytoskeleton

Cell Biology - Middle School

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Cell Biology - High School

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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.

The cytoskeleton naturally reorganizes as cells progress through the cell cycle.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

The team also observed that microtubules, another key part of the cytoskeleton, bent and spread out when the actin band was cut.

From Science Daily • Feb. 28, 2026

"A single change in the cytoskeleton is sufficient to disrupt the course of early brain development."

From Science Daily • Dec. 17, 2025

Actin plays a central role in the cytoskeleton, the internal framework that gives cells structure and helps move materials inside them.

From Science Daily • Dec. 17, 2025

When the ion fluxes are large or prolonged, they can cause self-assembly of the microtubules and microfilaments for the cytoskeleton.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.