ventricle

American  

[ven-tri-kuhl] / ˈvɛn trɪ kəl /

noun

• ventricles
  plural

1. Zoology. any of various hollow organs or parts in an animal body.

2. Anatomy.

   1. either of the two lower chambers on each side of the heart that receive blood from the atria and in turn force it into the arteries.

   2. one of a series of connecting cavities of the brain.

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ventricle British  

/ ˈvɛntrɪkəl /

noun

1. a chamber of the heart, having thick muscular walls, that receives blood from the atrium and pumps it to the arteries

2. any one of the four main cavities of the vertebrate brain, which contain cerebrospinal fluid

3. any of various other small cavities in the body

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ventricle Scientific  

/ vĕn′trĭ-kəl /

1. A chamber of the heart that receives blood from one or more atria and pumps it by muscular contraction into the arteries. Mammals, birds, and reptiles have two ventricles; amphibians and fish have one.

2. Any of four fluid-filled cavities in the brain of vertebrate animals. The ventricles are filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ventricles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ventricle

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin ventriculus belly, ventricle. See venter, -i-, -cle ¹

Explanation

A ventricle is one of the chambers of the heart. It pumps blood to your arteries. Ventricles are very important, because they are part of your heart. The ventricles are large cavities—or chambers—and there are two of them. The ventricles receive blood from your atriums. Then that blood is pumped through your arteries to the rest of your body. Since your body needs that blood to function and survive, your ventricles have a crucial job. Any problem with your ventricles could lead to serious health problems.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ventricle ventricles

The number likely refers to Ray J’s heart’s ejection fraction, which measures the volume of blood coming out of the heart’s left ventricle or being drawn into the right ventricle when the heart beats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026

Her daughters Lucie and Isobel, now 16 and 10 respectively, have each had a heart transplant after being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition where the left ventricle becomes enlarged and weakened.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025

They examined the hearts of young and old mice and discovered that as the rodents aged, nerve fibers disappeared from the left ventricle, the chamber that pumps blood to most of the body.

From Science Magazine ● May 22, 2024

Current treatments consist of a series of three open heart surgeries all before the patient's 5th year of life that reroutes oxygenated blood supply to the right ventricle.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024

He stepped on his switch and said, “There are two lacerations of the myocardium; a one-point-five-centimeter laceration in the right ventricle and a one-point-eight-centimeter laceration penetrating the left ventricle.”

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Symptoms of NPH — in which cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the ventricles of the brain but pressure doesn’t increase — include difficulty walking, according to the Alzheimer’s Assn.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025

However, in nearly half of these patients, the extra help leads to an imbalance between the left and right ventricles, which can pose danger to the patient.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 14, 2024

And it might also lead to insights that could help parents and doctors treat babies with hydrocephalus, a neurological disorder caused by a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in ventricles deep within the brain.

From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2023

Chakraborty suspected the outsize cells help bulk up that part of the fly’s heart, the equivalent of the human heart’s muscular ventricles.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 23, 2023

Werner’s blood gallops through his ventricles, his thoughts on Hauptmann’s transceiver, on solder, fuses, batteries, antennas; his boot and Frederick’s touch the ground at the exact same moment.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr