tabloid

[tab-loid]

noun

1. a newspaper whose pages, usually five columns wide, are about one-half the size of a standard-sized newspaper page.

2. a newspaper this size concentrating on sensational and lurid news, usually heavily illustrated.

3. a short form or version; condensation; synopsis; summary.

adjective

1. compressed or condensed in or as if in a tabloid.

   a tabloid article; a tabloid account of the adventure.

2. luridly or vulgarly sensational.

tabloid

/ ˈtæblɔɪd /

noun

1. a newspaper with pages about 30 cm (12 inches) by 40 cm (16 inches), usually characterized by an emphasis on photographs and a concise and often sensational style Compare broadsheet

2. (modifier) designed to appeal to a mass audience or readership; sensationalist

   the tabloid press

   tabloid television

Other Word Forms

• tabloidism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tabloid¹

First recorded in 1905–10; tabl(et) + -oid

Word History and Origins

Origin of tabloid¹

C20: from earlier Tabloid, a trademark for a medicine in tablet form

Example Sentences

For an actor who remains famously guarded despite being a tabloid staple, “Jay Kelly” is perhaps the closest a viewer can get to Clooney’s thoughts on his own fame this side of a memoir.

Read more on Salon

She has been dubbed 'the Terminator' by the tabloids.

Read more on BBC

But after a gangland feud erupted in Edinburgh in March, his name began to appear in the tabloids.

Read more on BBC

Last year, he said the tabloid press had been "central" to the breakdown of his relationship with the rest of the Royal Family.

Read more on BBC

The 94-year-old Hollywood veteran on Thursday urged his social media followers to be mindful of where they get their information, writing “don’t trust tabloids or AI!”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• paper