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natural killer cell

American  

noun

Immunology.

  1. a small killer cell that destroys virus-infected cells or tumor cells without activation by an immune system cell or antibody.

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.