Meaning & use
cell
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Meanings
nouncountablebiology
The smallest living unit of an organism, usually enclosed in a thin membrane and containing the material needed for life.
Grammar: Plural is cells: the body has trillions of cells.
Patterns
- a cell of something
- cells in something
A red blood cell carries oxygen around the body.
Plant cells have a stiff outer wall.
Scientists studied the cell under a microscope.
nouncountable
A small room in which a prisoner is kept, or a monk or nun lives.
Grammar: Often found with prison or police: the suspect spent the night in a cell.
Patterns
- in a cell
- a cell in a prison
The prisoner spent the night in a cell.
The monk's cell held only a bed and a desk.
A guard locked the cell door.
nouncountabletechnical
A single compartment in a larger structure, such as a spreadsheet box, a honeycomb section or a battery unit.
Grammar: In spreadsheets, a cell is identified by a letter and number, like B4.
Patterns
- a cell in something
- click on a cell
Type the total in cell B4.
Bees fill each cell of the comb with honey.
A solar panel is made of many small cells.
nouncountable
A small, often secret group within a larger organization, especially a political or criminal one.
Grammar: Usually used for covert groups operating independently.
Patterns
- a cell of something
Police arrested members of a small terrorist cell.
The party was organized in neighborhood cells.
A tiny cell of activists planned the protest.
Word forms
| plural | cells |
|---|
Common combinations
- blood cell
- Doctors counted her white blood cells.
- cell membrane
- The cell membrane controls what enters the cell.
- prison cell
- He paced his prison cell.
- cell division
- Cell division allows the body to grow.
- solar cell
- A solar cell turns sunlight into electricity.
- stem cell
- Stem cells can become many types of tissue.
Synonyms and how they differ
- compartment
- Compartment is a general word for a separate section, while cell suggests a small, enclosed unit.
- chamber
- Chamber is more formal and usually describes a larger enclosed room or space.
- unit
- Unit is broader and is not limited to a small enclosed container.
- cubicle
- Cubicle names a small partitioned area for work or changing, not a prison or biological unit.
Word family
Commonly confused: cell or sell? cell or cellar?
cell vs sell
Sell means to exchange for money and sounds identical to cell, so check context when writing.
cell vs cellar
A cellar is an underground room, not a cell, though both are small rooms.
Practice
Which is the best definition of cell as used in biology?
Choose one answer.
In biology a cell is the basic living unit. The other options are other meanings of the word in different fields.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cell”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.