column

American  

[kol-uhm] / ˈkɒl əm /

noun

• columns
  plural

1. Architecture.

   1. a rigid, relatively slender, upright support, composed of relatively few pieces.

   2. a decorative pillar, most often composed of stone and typically having a cylindrical or polygonal shaft with a capital and usually a base.

2. any columnlike object, mass, or formation.

   a column of smoke.

3. a vertical row or list.

   Add this column of figures.

4. a vertical arrangement on a page of horizontal lines of type, usually typographically justified.

   There are three columns on this page.

5. a regular feature or series of articles in a newspaper, magazine, or the like, usually having a readily identifiable heading and the byline of the writer or editor, that reports or comments upon a particular field of interest, as politics, theater, or etiquette, or which may contain letters from readers, answers to readers' queries, etc.

6. a long, narrow formation of troops in which there are more members in line in the direction of movement than at right angles to the direction (distinguished from line).

7. a formation of ships in single file.

8. Botany. a columnlike structure in an orchid flower, composed of the united stamens and style.

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column British  

/ ˈkɒləmˌneɪtɪd, ˈkɒləm, kəˈlʌmnə /

noun

1. an upright post or pillar usually having a cylindrical shaft, a base, and a capital

2. 1. a form or structure in the shape of a column

      a column of air

   2. a monument

3. a row, line, or file, as of people in a queue

4. military a narrow formation in which individuals or units follow one behind the other

5. journalism

   1. any of two or more vertical sections of type on a printed page, esp on a newspaper page

   2. a regular article or feature in a paper

      the fashion column

6. a vertical array of numbers or mathematical terms

7. botany a long structure in a flower, such as that of an orchid, consisting of the united stamens and style

8. anatomy zoology any elongated structure, such as a tract of grey matter in the spinal cord or the stalk of a crinoid

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Synonym Usage

Column, pillar refer to upright supports in architectural structures. Pillar is the general word: the pillars supporting the roof. A column is a particular kind of pillar, especially one with an identifiable shaft, base, and capital: columns of the Corinthian order.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• columnar
  adjective
• columnated
  adjective
• columned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• columns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of column

1400–50; late Middle English columne < Latin columna, equivalent to colum ( e ) n peak + -a feminine ending; akin to excel; replacing late Middle English colompne < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Explanation

Someone who writes a column for a newspaper provides an article that expresses his or her viewpoint on a regular basis, such as a column about local politics which appears in the Sunday edition. If your boss says, “I’m going to give you a column!” you may be getting a regular writing gig, or you may be getting a large pillar typically used to support a building. (You’ll know which it is when you see it.)Column also refers to something that resembles a pillar or stack, such as a column of smoke, or columns of numbers that must be added. Column also describes lines of text that form long rectangles on a page, separated by a thin line of space.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

column columns

I can think of several ways to end this column, but at the risk of repeating myself, I don’t think I can do better than to lean on this reminder:

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

Journalist Namita Bhandare who writes a popular column on gender issues in the Hindustan Times newspaper told the BBC that contrary to what people say, many "women in India of course swear, it's not new".

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Carol Ryan writes for The Wall Street Journal’s Heard on the Street column, covering luxury goods, housing and wealth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

In 2013, multiple media outlets accused Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul of plagiarizing in his speeches, newspaper column and his 2012 book from a variety of sources, including Wikipedia.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

She judged the space on either side of Sigurd, ready to time a run at escape, when a column of water blasted sideways from the wall and hammered Sigurd in the face.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Important discoveries in recent years include the remains of columns and bases from a Roman temple in Maasser al-Shouf in the mountains southeast of Beirut, nestled next to a millennia-old cedar forest.

From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026

Why he does not have the role of commissioner is something I have often thought about over the years, but then I would miss reading his columns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

Soon after the research began circulating, I focused one my columns on a list of 22 stocks that the study would have concluded were good bets to lag the market in 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

This lava flowed and then cooled, contracted and cracked, creating around eight-sided basalt columns.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

White and red marble columns lined the throne room.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• file
• list