[count] 1 a : a room in a prison, jail, etc., where prisoners live or are kept
▪ a prison/jail cell ▪ The suspect was in the police station's holding cell overnight.
b : a small room that one person (such as a monk or a nun) lives in 2 : any one of the very small parts that together form all living things
▪ blood/brain cells ▪ cancer cells — often used before another noun ▪ The nucleus splits during cell division. ▪ Her white blood cell count is low. ▪ the cell walls of plants 3 : any one of many similar sections that together form a larger structure
▪ a honeycomb cell 4 technical a : a container for holding substances that are used for producing electricity by chemical action
▪ dry cell battery ▪ a fuel cell
b : a device for changing light (such as sunlight) into electricity
▪ a solar cell 5 : a small group of people who work together secretly as part of a larger organization or group
▪ terrorist cells 6 US, informal : cell phone 7 computers : a space where information can be entered in an organized arrangement of rows and columns : a unit in a table or spreadsheet — see picture at table