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cell

cell

703 2.0
A mobile phone used to call and text people
  • noun
  • /sɛl/
  • Informal
translation icon : celular (América Latina)
  • A very serious safety concern is the use of cell phones while driving.
  • a cell phone
  • a cell phone number
  • talk on a cell

What do snowflakes and cell phones have in common?

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Examples

  • INTERCUT with Kevin's older brother -- 25, on his cell phone, traveling down a California road.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • You still got my cell number, right?

  • Will the owner of the cell phone please step forward?

  • What happened to your cell phone use during COVID?

  • Students were free to have cell phones on and to text as desired.

    Academic text (2013)
  • In a digital age where every cell phone is a camera, we are all broadcasters.

  • To say that the typical American college student uses their cell phone a lot is an understatement.

    Academic text (2013)
  • College students also demonstrate a heightened level of tolerance for cell phone conversations in public.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Participants using tablets, laptops, or cell phones had instant Internet access while reading.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Can you text me your cell number so I can reach you later?

Synonyms

smartphone
vscell
227 1.8

A small computer you carry with a touchscreen that makes calls and runs apps

is the informal American label but does not stress advanced computing features
phone
vscell
190 1.0

A pair of small speakers you wear on or in your ears to listen to sound

is the informal American term used for portable networked devices not just receivers
cellphone
vscell
  • US
175 1.0

A small phone you carry to call people, send messages, and use apps

is the informal American term for that portable device
mobile phone
vscell
58 1.0

A small telephone you carry to call, text, and go online

is the informal American word used for that general portable device
cellular phone
vscell
  • US
35 2.3

A portable phone people carry to call or send messages

is used informally in American English for the same device
cellular telephone
vscell
  • US
7 3.0

A small phone you carry to make calls and send messages from many places

is the informal American label rather than the formal technical name

Antonyms

38 3.3

A phone that uses wires to connect, not a mobile network

Compounds

stem cell
  • Specialized
77 4.1

A basic body unit that can become different kinds of cells and make more of itself

blood cell
  • Specialized
52 2.5

A cell in the blood that carries oxygen or fights infection

brain cell
  • Specialized
46 2.8

A cell in the brain that sends and receives messages

43 1.5

A small room in a prison where guards keep prisoners

33 4.1

A secure room in a police station where people wait briefly before going to court

fuel cell
  • Specialized
32 4.5

A device that makes electricity from hydrogen and oxygen

cancer cell
  • Specialized
31 2.5

An abnormal body cell that divides without control and forms a tumor

29 2.7

A small locked room in jail for holding a person

stem-cell research
  • Specialized
27 3.7

Study of cells that can become other cells and how they can treat disease

T cell
  • Specialized
26 4.2

A white blood cell made in the thymus that helps the body fight infections and cancer cells

white blood cell
  • Specialized
22 2.5

A cell in the blood that helps the body fight infections

red blood cell
  • Specialized
16 3.1

A small round cell in the blood that carries oxygen to body tissues

nerve cell
  • Specialized
15 3.4

A cell that sends electrical signals to carry messages between the brain and body

15 6.0

A small secret group that plans violent attacks for political reasons

skin cell
  • Specialized
14 2.7

A small living part of the skin that makes it and helps protect the body

solar cell
  • Specialized
13 3.6

A device that changes sunlight into electricity

sickle cell
  • Specialized
10 4.3

A red blood cell with a crescent shape that can block small blood vessels

9 3.3

A blood cell that eats and kills germs to protect the body

8 4.1

A study of cells taken from early human embryos to develop medical treatments

fat cell
  • Specialized
6 2.8

A small part of the body that stores fat for energy

6 8.9

A secret group of people who stay inactive until told to attack or spy

cell death
  • Specialized
5 3.9

A natural process in which living cells die during growth or repair

epithelial cell
  • Specialized
5 5.0

A cell that forms a thin layer covering body surfaces and inner organs

B cell
  • Specialized
5 4.3

A white blood cell that makes antibodies to fight infections

cell division
  • Specialized
5 2.8

A cell splits to make two new cells for growth or repair

cell wall
  • Specialized
5 3.6

A hard layer around the cells of plants, fungi, and some bacteria that gives support and protection

cell membrane
  • Specialized
4 3.6

A thin flexible outer layer around a cell that controls what enters and leaves

Leydig cell
  • Specialized
3 7.1

A cell in the testes that makes the hormone testosterone

muscle cell
  • Specialized
3 3.0

A long body cell that makes muscles move by becoming shorter and longer

sickle-cell anemia
  • Specialized
3 4.1

An inherited blood illness in which red blood cells become crescent shaped, causing low red blood cell count and pain

3 3.5

A male cell that joins a female egg to make a baby

A large room in a jail or police station where officers keep several people for a short time

egg cell
  • Specialized
2 3.6

A female cell that can join with a sperm to grow into a new animal or plant

photovoltaic cell
  • Specialized
2 4.6

A device that changes sunlight into electricity

plant cell
  • Specialized
2 3.0

A tiny living part of a plant with a stiff wall, green chloroplasts, and a large storage space inside

embryonic cell
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A cell in an embryo during early growth

glial cell
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A part of the brain and nerves that supports, protects, and helps nerve cells work

hair cell
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A cell in the inner ear that senses sound vibrations

sickle-cell disease
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A blood condition passed from parents that makes red blood cells crescent-shaped and causes pain

killer cell
  • Specialized
1 4.3

A white blood cell that finds and kills virus-infected cells

somatic cell
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A body cell that is not a sex cell

squamous cell
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A thin, flat cell that forms the outer layer of the skin and some body surfaces

beta cell
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A cell in the pancreas that makes and releases insulin to control blood sugar

bone cell
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A living part inside a bone that helps make new bone and remove old bone

cell nucleus
  • Specialized
1 3.2

The part of a cell surrounded by a membrane that holds DNA and controls growth and reproduction

mast cell
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A large cell in body tissue that releases chemicals during allergic reactions and inflammation

germ cell
  • Specialized
1 5.8

Cell like a sperm or egg that carries genes to children

1 6.1

A special cell inside bones that makes red and white blood cells and platelets

reproductive cell
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A cell like a sperm or egg that carries half the genes for a new life

plasma cell
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A white blood cell that makes antibodies to fight infections

storage cell
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A device that stores electricity and can be charged again

daughter cell
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A cell formed when one cell divides, usually like the parent cell

dry cell
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A small battery with a moist paste inside that gives power to devices like a flashlight

electrolytic cell
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A device with a liquid that uses electricity to force a chemical reaction

ganglion cell
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A nerve cell with its main part outside the brain and spinal cord, often in the retina

helper cell
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A white blood cell that helps other immune cells fight infections

primary cell
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A small battery that you throw away after one use

programmed cell death
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A process where a cell kills itself to help the body stay healthy

photoconductive cell
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A small device that lets more electricity pass when light hits it

scavenger cell
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A tiny part of the body that eats dead tissue and germs to help fight infection

target cell
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A cell that responds to a specific agent, like a hormone or a virus

sex cell
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A cell that joins another to make a new living thing, like sperm or egg

1 4.6

A common skin cancer that starts in the flat cells of the middle and outer layers of skin

wet cell
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A battery that uses liquid to produce electricity

bone-forming cell
  • Specialized
4.4

A part of the body that makes new bone during growth or healing

cadmium cell
  • Archaic
8.8

An electrical cell that uses cadmium metal for one electrode and gives a steady voltage for laboratory use

CD4 cell
  • Specialized
5.1

A white blood cell that helps control the immune system and that HIV attacks

CD4 T cell
  • Specialized
4.6

A white blood cell that helps the body fight infection by guiding other immune cells

CD8 cell
  • Specialized
5.5

A type of white blood cell that finds and kills virus-infected or abnormal cells

CD8 T cell
  • Specialized
4.6

A kind of immune cell that finds and kills cells infected by viruses

cell doctrine
  • Specialized
4.8

A scientific idea that cells are the basic parts of all living things

cell organ
  • Specialized
4.0

A part inside a cell that does a specific job, like making energy

cell organelle
  • Specialized
4.5

A small part inside a cell that has one job, for example making energy

How Portable

cell
  • Informal
703 2.0
landline
38 3.3

Surface Forms

cell singular
cells plural
cells plural
cell singular

Etymology

The informal word cell for a mobile phone is short for cellular, which comes from the same idea of small areas or 'cells' in the phone network, so we call the device a cell because it works in one of those small signal areas.