cells

/sel/ (bre, ipa) · [sˈɛlz] /sel/ (ame, ipa) · [sˈɛlz] /ˈsel How to pronounce cel (audio)/ (ame, mw)

cells — noun

1. the tiny living units that build the bodies of plants and animals

1.名詞B2
釋義

the tiny living units that build the bodies of plants and animals

例句

Scientists counted the damaged cells before starting the drug trial.

counted the damaged cells in a medical test

Brain cells send messages quickly so your hand pulls away from heat.

Brain cells send messages through the body

同義詞
  • units

    much broader; not specifically about living things

  • building blocks

    a metaphor used when explaining that living things are made from cells

文法句型

blood cells

brain cells

cells divide

用法筆記

Usually refers to many units inside a body, tissue sample, or plant. If you mean one unit, use the singular form 'cell'.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor examined many body atoms.
✅The doctor examined many body cells.
💡atoms are chemical particles; cells are the living units of a plant or animal body.
❌These cells is growing fast.
✅These cells are growing fast.
💡'cells' is plural, so it takes a plural verb.

2. simple, very small rooms where prisoners, monks, or nuns live alone

2.名詞B2
釋義

simple, very small rooms where prisoners, monks, or nuns live alone

例句

The old prison still has narrow cells with metal doors and tiny windows.

prison cells with metal doors

At dawn, the guards checked all the cells before breakfast was served.

checked all the cells in a prison

同義詞
  • rooms

    far more general and does not imply confinement or religious simplicity

  • chambers

    more literary and usually less harsh than 'cells'

文法句型

prison cells

cells in a convent

stone cells

用法筆記

This sense is used for harsh prison rooms or the plain private rooms in a monastery or convent. It does not mean an ordinary bedroom or office.

常見錯誤

❌Our hotel cells were small but clean.
✅Our hotel rooms were small but clean.
💡a 'cell' suggests imprisonment or religious living, not normal travel accommodation.
❌The monk decorated his cell with a sofa and television.
✅The monk kept his cell simple, with very little furniture.
💡this sense usually implies a plain, bare room.

3. single power units that make electric current through a chemical reaction

3.名詞B2
釋義

single power units that make electric current through a chemical reaction

例句

The torch uses four small cells instead of one large battery.

small cells inside electrical equipment

Michael replaced the dead cells in the remote before the match started.

replaced the dead cells

同義詞
  • batteries

    more everyday term; can also mean a whole battery pack rather than one unit

  • power units

    general technical phrase, broader than the electrical sense of 'cells'

文法句型

replace the cells

dry cells

fuel cells

用法筆記

Often appears in technical or product language. In everyday speech, many people say 'batteries', but 'cells' emphasizes the individual power units themselves.

常見錯誤

❌The remote needs new electricity.
✅The remote needs new cells.
💡the device needs fresh power units, not the abstract idea of electricity.
❌I bought one cells for the torch.
✅I bought one cell for the torch.
💡use the singular form when only one power unit is meant.

4. informal plural term, especially in North America, for mobile phones

4.名詞A2
釋義

informal plural term, especially in North America, for mobile phones

例句

Most students kept their cells in their lockers during the exam.

kept their cells in lockers

Dad asked us to charge our cells before we left for the camping trip.

charge our cells before a trip

同義詞
  • cell phones

    full form; more neutral than the shortened 'cells'

  • phones

    broad everyday word; can include landlines in some contexts

  • mobiles

    common British term for mobile phones

文法句型

charge your cells

leave your cells behind

用法筆記

Common in informal North American speech. Many speakers now simply say 'phones', while 'mobile' is more common in British English.

常見錯誤

❌I forgot my mobile cellphone at home.
✅I forgot my cell at home.
💡'cell' already means a mobile phone in this informal sense, so adding 'mobile' is unnecessary.
❌My cell is out of electric.
✅My cell is out of power.
💡phones run out of battery power, not 'electric'.

5. small separate sections inside a larger pattern, surface, or structure

5.名詞B2
釋義

small separate sections inside a larger pattern, surface, or structure

例句

Please enter each date in the correct cells on the spreadsheet.

cells on a spreadsheet

The bee had filled all the honeycomb cells before summer ended.

honeycomb cells

同義詞
  • compartments

    broader and often used for physical containers

  • boxes

    everyday word, especially for square shapes in forms or diagrams

  • slots

    suggests places meant to receive or hold something

文法句型

spreadsheet cells

empty cells

honeycomb cells

用法筆記

Usually refers to one part of a larger arrangement such as a table, grid, honeycomb, or map. Unlike sense 2, these cells are sections inside something, not rooms for living.

常見錯誤

❌Type your name in the first box of the spreadsheet.
✅Type your name in the first cell of the spreadsheet.
💡in spreadsheet language, the standard word is 'cell'.
❌The prison had twenty cells in the chart.
✅The chart had twenty cells.
💡this sense is about sections in a pattern, not prison rooms.

6. small hidden groups within a broader political cause, often prepared to act sepa

6.名詞C1
釋義

small hidden groups within a broader political cause, often prepared to act separately and sometimes violently

例句

Police discovered several cells that had been meeting in rented flats.

discovered several cells

The movement operated through local cells instead of one national office.

operated through local cells

同義詞
  • units

    broader organizational term without the strong sense of secrecy

  • branches

    used for official local parts of an open organization, not hidden groups

  • rings

    often used for criminal groups rather than political movements

文法句型

terrorist cells

local cells

operate in cells

用法筆記

Often used for underground political or militant organizations. The idea is that each small group works partly on its own, which makes the larger movement harder to break apart.

常見錯誤

❌Our chess club has three cells on campus.
✅Our chess club has three branches on campus.
💡'cell' in this sense suggests secrecy or political violence, not an ordinary student club.
❌The company divided staff into sales cells.
✅The company divided staff into sales teams.
💡this sense is too secretive and political for normal office groups.