white blood cells

Cultural  

1. Colorless cells in the blood that help combat infection. Some white blood cells act as scavengers by engulfing foreign particles (such as bacteria) and destroying them. Others produce antibodies or destroy dead cells. (See AIDS.)

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Example Sentences

In this case, the virus has been modified to replicate only inside tumor cells, causing them to burst, while simultaneously triggering a more aggressive immune response from the body’s own white blood cells.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Longer-term exposure increases the risk of cancers of the white blood cells, such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as well as breast cancer.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a bachelor of science and a medical degree, Levis became fascinated with T cells, the white blood cells that help defend the body from infections.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

For this study, the universal CAR T-cells came from the white blood cells of healthy donors.

From Science Daily • Dec. 11, 2025

Because his white blood cells can identify and destroy the infected cells, this man doesn’t get sick.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann