noun
- a small cavity or space within a cell, typically filled with fluid
Usage: biology
Examples
- Plant cells contain large vacuoles that help maintain their shape.
- The vacuole stores water and maintains turgor pressure in the cell.
- Food vacuoles in amoebas digest captured particles.
- The central vacuole occupies most of the space in a mature plant cell.
- Contractile vacuoles help single-celled organisms regulate water content.
- Scientists observed the vacuole expanding as the cell absorbed water.