Illustration of sickle
- sickle 1
1
: an agricultural implement consisting of a curved metal blade with a short handle fitted on a tang
2
: the cutting mechanism (as of a reaper, combine, or mower) consisting of a bar with a series of cutting elements
: having the form of a sickle blade : having a curve similar to that of a sickle blade
the sickle moon
sickled; sickling
ˈsi-k(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to mow or reap with a sickle
2
: to change (a red blood cell) into a sickle cell
: to change into a sickle cell
the ability of red blood cells to sickle
Examples of sickle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Week Uk, theweek, 6 Oct. 2024
In patients with sickle cell, the namesake cells form when mutant hemoglobin proteins clump together into fibers, deforming red blood cells’ usual saucer shape into a curved sickle, which prevents them from effectively delivering oxygen to tissues.
—Sara Reardon, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Reuters, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024
Cells with this kind of hemoglobin resist sickling—an explanation for why newborns with the illness do not experience sickle crises.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Restricting Black participation in the medical profession deprived sickle cell patients of health-care workers who would have best understood their needs and may have contributed to the maligning of people experiencing sickling crises as addicts faking pain to obtain opioids.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sickle 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Indeed, a trip up the hill to cut grass by hand using sickles is the first stage of any thatching workshop.
—The Week Uk, theweek, 6 Oct. 2024
In patients with sickle cell, the namesake cells form when mutant hemoglobin proteins clump together into fibers, deforming red blood cells’ usual saucer shape into a curved sickle, which prevents them from effectively delivering oxygen to tissues.
—Sara Reardon, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Adjective
The sickle, the padlock and certain types of wood found at the grave site were all believed at the time to hold magical properties protecting against vampires, according to the Nicolaus Copernicus team.
—Reuters, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024
Cells with this kind of hemoglobin resist sickling—an explanation for why newborns with the illness do not experience sickle crises.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Verb
Cells with this kind of hemoglobin resist sickling—an explanation for why newborns with the illness do not experience sickle crises.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
Restricting Black participation in the medical profession deprived sickle cell patients of health-care workers who would have best understood their needs and may have contributed to the maligning of people experiencing sickling crises as addicts faking pain to obtain opioids.
—Maryn McKenna, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sickle
Dictionary Entries Near sickle
Cite this Entry
“Sickle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sickle. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sickle
1 of 2 noun
sick·le
ˈsik-əl
: a tool with a sharp curved metal blade and a short handle used to cut grass
sickle
2 of 2 verb
sickled; sickling
ˈsik-(ə-)liŋ
: to change into a sickle cell
the ability of red blood cells to sickle
Medical Definition
sickle
1 of 3 noun
sick·le
ˈsik-əl
: a dental scaler with a curved 3-sided point
sickle
2 of 3 adjective
: of, relating to, or characteristic of sickle cell anemia or sickle-cell trait
sickle hemoglobin
sickle
3 of 3 verb
sickled; sickling
ˈsik-(ə-)liŋ
: to change (a red blood cell) into a sickle cell
: to undergo change into a sickle cell
the ability of red blood cells to sickle
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share