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killer cell

American  

noun

Immunology.

  1. any of several types of lymphocyte or leukocyte capable of destroying cells that have acquired foreign characteristics, as a tumor cell or virus-infected cell.

killer cell British  

noun

  1. a type of white blood cell that is able to kill cells, such as cancer cells and cells infected with viruses

"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

Example Sentences

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Partners who showed no sign of infection were more likely to have a robust natural killer cell response, which could result in a stronger defense against infection.

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2022

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.