- a variation of cel.
cell
Americannoun
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a small room, as in a convent or prison.
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any of various small compartments or bounded areas forming part of a whole.
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a small group acting as a unit within a larger organization.
a local cell of the Communist party.
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Biology. a usually microscopic structure containing nuclear and cytoplasmic material enclosed by a semipermeable membrane and, in plants, a cell wall; the basic structural unit of all organisms.
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Entomology. one of the areas into which the wing of an insect is divided by the veins.
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Botany. locule.
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Electricity.
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Also called electrochemical cell,. Also called galvanic cell,. Also called voltaic cell. Also called electric cell,. Also called battery. a device that generates electrical energy from chemical energy, usually consisting of two different conducting substances placed in an electrolyte.
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Also called electrolytic cell. Physical Chemistry. a device for producing electrolysis, consisting essentially of the electrolyte, its container, and the electrodes.
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Aeronautics. the gas container of a balloon.
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Ecclesiastical. a monastery or nunnery, usually small, dependent on a larger religious house.
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Telecommunications.
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one of the distinct geographical areas covered by a radio transmitter in a cellular phone system.
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verb (used without object)
noun
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a small simple room, as in a prison, convent, monastery, or asylum; cubicle
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any small compartment
the cells of a honeycomb
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biology the basic structural and functional unit of living organisms. It consists of a nucleus, containing the genetic material, surrounded by the cytoplasm in which are mitochondria, lysosomes, ribosomes, and other organelles. All cells are bounded by a cell membrane; plant cells have an outer cell wall in addition
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biology any small cavity or area, such as the cavity containing pollen in an anther
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a device for converting chemical energy into electrical energy, usually consisting of a container with two electrodes immersed in an electrolyte See also primary cell secondary cell dry cell wet cell fuel cell
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short for electrolytic cell
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a small religious house dependent upon a larger one
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a small group of persons operating as a nucleus of a larger political, religious, or other organization
Communist cell
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maths a small unit of volume in a mathematical coordinate system
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zoology one of the areas on an insect wing bounded by veins
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the geographical area served by an individual transmitter in a cellular radio network
noun
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The basic unit of living matter in all organisms, consisting of protoplasm enclosed within a cell membrane. All cells except bacterial cells have a distinct nucleus that contains the cell's DNA as well as other structures (called organelles) that include mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, and vacuoles. The main source of energy for all of a cell's biological processes is ATP.
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See more at eukaryote prokaryote
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Any of various devices, or units within such devices, that are capable of converting some form of energy into electricity. Cells contain two electrodes and an electrolyte.
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See more at electrolytic cell solar cell voltaic cell
Discover More
Groups of cells with similar structure and function form tissues.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cell
First recorded before 1150; 1665–75 cell for def. 4; Middle English celle, from Old French celle, from Medieval Latin cella “monastic cell,” Latin: “room”; Old English cell, from Medieval Latin, as above; see cella
Explanation
Cell has several different meanings, but all of them are similar. Whether it's in a prison or in your blood (or even in the political landscape), a cell is a small room, space, or unit. Blood is composed of countless individual cells, as are virtually all of the organs of the body: skin, liver, lungs, brain, etc. The cell is the basic unit of all biology. A cell in a prison is the room in which a prisoner lives. But did you know that a cell can also be a small group of people devoted to a larger political cause? The government's security forces are constantly on the lookout for terrorist "sleeper cells" and would love to get the members of a sleeper cell into a prison cell.
Vocabulary lists containing cell
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As Illuminate Fellow at QUB's School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, he and the team are leading studies involving multiple institutions around the world, using O'Connor's affordable 3D-printed cell.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
"It's one thing to look at chemistry and a set of materials at the single cell level in a fume hood," said Bailey.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
One of the intruders – a tall, dark-haired young woman – claims that she’s the real Asa, not the body in the cell, and that Yuru is in danger if he stays.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Later that day, they said, guards searched each cell one by one, seizing almost all personal items.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Hadn’t he wanted—needed—to stay here with every cell of his mind, body, and soul?
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
AI system parameters work like brain cells: The more a model has, the more knowledge it can store, making the count a shorthand for a model’s capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
O'Connor and Bailey are scaling up their work, testing larger stacks of printed cells to see how the technology may be applied to industry.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
They reduced cellular damage and slowed the growth of cancer cells.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Last year, more than 90% of the battery-storage systems installed in the U.S. used Chinese cells, according to Benchmark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Packets of information were themselves packaged—into chromosomes, and ultimately in cells.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.