vacuole
noun
vac·u·ole
ˈva-kyə-ˌwōl 
1
: a small cavity or space in the tissues of an organism containing air or fluid
2
: a cavity or vesicle in the cytoplasm of a cell usually containing fluid see cell illustration
Examples of vacuole in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Caught between a vacuole and a hard place, the chloroplasts, nucleus, and other organelles are smushed against the plant cell’s rigid rectangular walls.
—
Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2026
Evidence suggests the worm’s specialized hemoglobin ferries sulfide to the same vacuoles, delivering the final ingredient for the worm’s deep-sea alchemy.
—New Atlas, 16 Nov. 2025
Burnetti hoped the rhodopsin would find its way into the yeast’s vacuole, an enzyme-laden sac that degrades unneeded proteins.
—Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 18 Apr. 2023
The plant then converts the CO2 to a chemical called malate and tucks it away for the night in a cellular closet called a vacuole.
—Kurt Kleiner, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Nov. 2022
The green enclosure is a vacuole.
—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
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Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2026
Evidence suggests the worm’s specialized hemoglobin ferries sulfide to the same vacuoles, delivering the final ingredient for the worm’s deep-sea alchemy.
—New Atlas, 16 Nov. 2025
Burnetti hoped the rhodopsin would find its way into the yeast’s vacuole, an enzyme-laden sac that degrades unneeded proteins.
—Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 18 Apr. 2023
The plant then converts the CO2 to a chemical called malate and tucks it away for the night in a cellular closet called a vacuole.
—Kurt Kleiner, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Nov. 2022
The green enclosure is a vacuole.
—Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010
Cite this Entry
“Vacuole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vacuole. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vacuole
noun
vac·u·ole
ˈvak-yə-ˌwōl
: a cavity in bodily tissues or in the cytoplasm of a cell that is usually filled with fluid
Medical Definition
vacuole
noun
vac·u·ole
ˈvak-yə-ˌwōl
1
: a small cavity or space in the tissues of an organism containing air or fluid
2
: a cavity or vesicle in the cytoplasm of a cell containing fluid
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