Meaning & use
antibody
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebiologymedical
A protein made by the immune system that recognizes and helps destroy specific germs or harmful substances.
Grammar: Countable: one antibody, several antibodies. Often used in the plural when talking about the immune response.
Patterns
- produce antibodies
- antibodies against something
- antibodies to something
After the infection, her body produced antibodies that protected her from getting sick again.
The test looks for antibodies against the virus in a sample of blood.
Vaccines work by teaching the immune system to make antibodies before you meet the real germ.
nouncountabletechnicalmedical
A laboratory-made protein used in medicine and research to target a specific substance in the body.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural for types of these proteins: monoclonal antibodies.
Patterns
- monoclonal antibodies
- antibody treatment
- antibody test
Doctors used monoclonal antibodies to help the patient fight the disease.
Antibody tests can show whether you have had a particular infection in the past.
The lab designed an antibody that sticks to cancer cells and helps the immune system attack them.
Word forms
| plural | antibodies |
|---|
Common combinations
- produce antibodies
- The body starts to produce antibodies about a week after infection.
- antibodies against something
- The vaccine creates antibodies against the virus.
- antibody test
- An antibody test can tell if you were exposed to the disease.
- monoclonal antibodies
- Monoclonal antibodies are made in a lab from a single cell.
- antibody response
- A strong antibody response usually means better protection.
Synonyms and how they differ
- immunoglobulin
- The formal scientific term for an antibody; use it in medical or biology writing, not in everyday speech.
Word family
- antigen noun
- A substance that causes the body to make antibodies; it is the trigger, not the defense.
- antibody-mediated adjective
- Describing an immune response that mainly involves antibodies.
Commonly confused: antibody or antigen?
antibody vs antigen
An antigen is the foreign substance (like a virus protein) that starts the immune response; an antibody is the protein your body makes to fight it. So a test for antigens looks for the germ itself, while an antibody test looks for your body's response.
Practice
The immune system makes ______ to fight off a virus.
Choose one answer.
Antibodies are the proteins produced by the immune system to neutralize a virus. Antigens are the substances that trigger this response, antibiotics kill bacteria (not viruses), and antiseptics are used on skin to prevent infection.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “antibody”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.