columnist
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of columnist
Explanation
A columnist writes regularly for a newspaper or magazine, usually expressing opinions or commentary. A columnist might write an article endorsing a candidate for president one week, and a story about a terrible local fire the next week. If you get a job as a newspaper columnist, you'll be expected to publish on a regular basis, maybe once or twice a week. An advice columnist answers letters that ask for help with personal problems and dilemmas, and a political columnist comments on various current events and political figures. The word columnist comes from a newspaper column, which got that name from the "vertical division of a page" meaning.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Columnist Patt Morrison recalls the fuel crisis of the 1970s.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Columnist Jason Gay looks at why pickleball is the optimal activity for people living with Parkinson’s disease.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Columnist Clarence Page writes that “a key question will be whether prosecutors can distinguish SPLC’s informant practices from those long used by law enforcement.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Columnist Dawn Gilbertson has spent 30 nights in hotels so far this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
He was named Sports Columnist of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists in 2010, 2016, 2019 and 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
