verb
- to engulf and destroy (bacteria, foreign particles, or other cells) by means of phagocytosis
Usage: chiefly British spelling; American English typically uses 'phagocytize'; technical/scientific term; used in biology and medicine
Examples
- White blood cells phagocytise invading bacteria to protect the body from infection.
- Macrophages phagocytise dead cells and cellular debris.
- The immune system relies on specialized cells that phagocytise pathogens.
- During the inflammatory response, neutrophils phagocytise foreign particles.
- Scientists observed how the organism's cells phagocytise the introduced microorganisms.