Columbia

[ kuh-luhm-bee-uh ]

/ kəˈlʌm bi ə /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for Columbia on Thesaurus.com

noun

a river in southwestern Canada and the northwestern United States, flowing south and west from southeastern British Columbia through Washington along the boundary between Washington and Oregon and into the Pacific. 1,214 miles (1,955 km) long.

Cape Columbia, a cape on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, in the Arctic Ocean: northernmost point of Canada.

a city in and the capital of South Carolina, in the central part.

a city in central Missouri.

a city in central Maryland.

a city in central Tennessee.

a city in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Literary. the United States of America.

one of an American breed of large sheep, developed by crossbreeding the Lincoln and Rambouillet, noted for its good market lambs and heavy fleece of medium length.

Aerospace. the first space shuttle to orbit and return to earth.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Columbia

Colum, Columba, columbarium, columbary, columbate, Columbia, Columbia Heights, Columbian, Columbia River, columbic, columbine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Columbia in a sentence

Hearing the shots, four Columbia patrolmen ran toward Mink Slide, where they were met with gunfire and injured.
America’s first post-World War II race riot led to the near-lynching of Thurgood Marshall|Chris Lamb|February 25, 2021|Washington Post
In 1970 he told a gathering of Columbia students that if the 1960s had called for sit-ins, then the new decade demanded the burning of banks.
Rennie Davis, ‘Chicago Seven’ activist and leader of New Left, dies at 80|Emily Langer|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
Stephanie and her son are Mormon, and they started to make friends at the Mormon Church in Columbia.
A Maryland couple opened their home to a Honduran mother and son. They ended up sharing more than space.|Stephanie García|January 30, 2021|Washington Post
“We know that there is little tolerance for top predators, so we need to increase understanding of that role,” said Kim Wheeler, executive director of the Red Wolf Coalition, an educational advocacy group in Columbia, North Carolina.
Wild red wolves hanging on but more cooperation needed to save the species|Ann Cameron Siegal|January 26, 2021|Washington Post

Available in Maryland at Columbia Fine Wine & Spirits and Decanter Fine Wines in Columbia.
This chianti will put you under the Tuscan sun and ground you with earthy flavors, too|Dave McIntyre|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
MGM and Columbia are both subsidiaries of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In January 2014, a lifelong District of Columbia parks employee, Medric Mills, collapsed while walking with his grown daughter.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He hopes to attend Columbia Medical School and specialize in Oncology.
Beaten By His Church for Being Gay|Justin Jones|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Daily Beast: You received an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia.
Meghan Daum On Tackling The Unspeakable Parts Of Life|David Yaffe|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As of July 2014, only 22 states and the District of Columbia require sex education to be taught in public schools.
The Next Frontier of Sex Ed: How Porn Twists Teens’ Brains|Aurora Snow|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One would have thought that half the dogs in the neighborhood had relatives coming from Columbia.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
There was a larger crowd than usual at the little station to see the Columbia excursionists come in.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
Wish to call it Columbia mine for patriotic reasons having found it on Fourth.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
The Columbia is the largest, but after flowing north-west and then south for about 400 m., it passes into the United States.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 2|Various
The distance from the navigable waters of the Missouri to the navigable waters of the Columbia is less than three hundred miles.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 101, March, 1866|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Columbia (1 of 2)

Columbia¹

/ (kəˈlʌmbɪə) /

noun

a river in NW North America, rising in the Rocky Mountains and flowing through British Columbia, then west to the Pacific. Length: about 1930 km (1200 miles)

a city in central South Carolina, on the Congaree River: the state capital. Pop: 117 357 (2003 est)

British Dictionary definitions for Columbia (2 of 2)

Columbia²

/ (kəˈlʌmbɪə) /

noun

the first test vehicle of the NASA space shuttle fleet to prove the possibility of routine access to space for scientific and commercial ventures

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012