Meaning & use

antibody

noun·Academic

A protein produced by the immune system to identify and neutralize harmful invaders such as bacteria or viruses.

See it in a sentence

After the infection cleared, her blood still contained antibodies that could fight the virus.

The vaccine trains the immune system to produce antibodies before a real infection occurs.

A note on using this word

Antibody is often confused with antigen; an antigen triggers the response, while an antibody is the defense produced.

Words with a similar meaning

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