red blood cells

Cultural  

1. The disk-shaped cells in the blood that contain hemoglobin. The red blood cells supply oxygen to all body cells and remove the carbon dioxide wastes that result from metabolism.

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Example Sentences

The common thread is that malignant cells overtake the marrow—the tissue that produces white blood cells to fight infection, red blood cells to carry oxygen, and platelets to prevent bleeding.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

The day of Scott’s stem cell treatment, a nurse first extracted 80 cc of his blood, which was spun down to produce platelet-rich plasma; after that, red blood cells were removed, leaving concentrated plasma proteins.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Because of this, the red blood cells can block blood flow to the rest of the body and can cause chronic pain, strokes, lung problems, infections and kidney disease.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

People living with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that are crescent shaped due to a gene mutation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

But only red blood cells were affected by the altered genes—not Noel’s neurons or kidneys or liver cells or muscle cells.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee