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macrophage
noun
mac·ro·phage
ˈma-krə-ˌfāj
: a phagocytic tissue cell of the immune system that may be fixed or freely motile, is derived from a monocyte, functions in the destruction of foreign antigens (such as bacteria and viruses), and serves as an antigen-presenting cell compare histiocyte
Examples of macrophage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Among their many important roles in maintaining human health on a microbiological level, macrophages, which are white blood cells critical to the immune system, seek out pathogens and then engulf and digest them.
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New Atlas, 5 Feb. 2025
The immune system responds to these accumulations, sending macrophage white blood cells to engulf the cholesterol, which then turn into foam cells that aggregate in the skin, forming the yellowish plaques characteristic of xanthelasma.
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Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Blood vessels become increasingly fragile, allowing for the leakage of the likes of inflammation mediators and some immunity cells, like monocytes or macrophages.
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Jennifer Weil, WWD, 14 Jan. 2025
Amino acids regulate the activation of white blood cells like lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and macrophages, which protect your body from getting sick and fight infection.29
Chicken provides zinc, selenium, and B vitamins, which are also necessary for immune response.3
13.
—
Jillian Kubala, Health, 16 Dec. 2024
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Word History
Etymology
borrowed from German Makrophagen (plural), from makro- macro- + -phagen, plural of -phage -phage
Note: Introduced, along with Mikrophagen "microphages," by Élie metchnikoff in "Ueber den Kampf der Zellen gegen Erysipelkokken," Archiv für pathologische Anatomie und Physiologie, Band 107 (1887), p. 222.
First Known Use
1887, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near macrophage
Cite this Entry
“Macrophage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macrophage. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
macrophage
noun
mac·ro·phage
ˈmak-rə-ˌfāj
: a large phagocyte of the immune system
Medical Definition
macrophage
noun
mac·ro·phage
ˈmak-rə-ˌfāj
-ˌfäzh
: a phagocytic tissue cell of the immune system that may be fixed or freely motile, is derived from a monocyte, functions in the destruction of foreign antigens (as bacteria and viruses), and serves as an antigen-presenting cell see histiocyte, mononuclear phagocyte system
More from Merriam-Webster on macrophage
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about macrophage
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