tabloid

American  

[tab-loid] / ˈtæb lɔɪd /

noun

• tabloids
  plural

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tabloidism
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tabloids
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of tabloid

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

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Explanation

A tabloid is a newspaper, especially one that's smaller than a traditional daily paper and focuses on sensational news items. If you're lucky, you might read some juicy tabloid headlines when you pass the corner newsstand. A tabloid is more likely to print celebrity gossip or crime stories with large photographs than news about international issues or the economy, especially on the front page. Tabloids aren't taken entirely seriously as journalism, although they are very popular and tend to sell well. The word tabloid originally meant "small tablet of medicine" in the 1880's. By 1900, it also meant "a compressed form of anything," including journalism.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tabloid tabloids

The New York Post tabloid described her as "visibly nervous."

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

A gritty throwback to print journalism: Danny Boyle’s new film, Ink, depicts Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of the Sun, turning it into the United Kingdom’s top tabloid paper.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

After the hounding of Diana by the paparazzi, he says he personally rang tabloid newspaper editors to disinvite them from the Abbey funeral, after their invitations had already been sent out.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

The paper still publishes a print edition, though it is in a tabloid format — smaller in size and more compact.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

The last week of March, as the hearing began, the steps to the courthouse were crowded with journalists and tabloid reporters alike, all rabid for scraps of anything that emerged in the testimony.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

This thrust him into the limelight, with tabloids snapping photos of him travelling and with his new wife.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Prince Harry, who relocates back to Britain shortly with his family, will open a new chapter in his ever-eventful life which once seemed improbable amid royal feuds, battles over security and lawsuits against UK tabloids.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

LONDON—British tabloids could hardly contain their glee when news broke this week that one of their favorite targets—Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—would be returning to the U.K.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Then Harry met Meghan, offering the tabloids new material.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

“Now the tabloids are going to be pairing you with Hideo on their covers next week.”

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

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Related Words

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