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

Etymology

Origin of tabloid

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

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

But she was the one that the paparazzi hounded most fiercely, feeding malicious tabloid coverage focused on her body image and weight.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

In the book, she describes suffering from body dysmorphia for years because of harsh tabloid coverage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

But Liverpool Crown Court heard Owen had "fabricated the events" to "get rid of the vehicle" and get out of his finance agreement - and later even sold the story to tabloid newspapers.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

When England lost, one tabloid led with the headline: “Ten Brave Lions, One Stupid Boy.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

A camera crew from the tabloid television program Hard Copy ambushed her outside her apartment.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

There is plenty of scope for awkward potential snubs for the tabloids to feast on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Markle quickly found herself in the beloved “bad boy” Royal’s orbit — including the tireless swarm of tabloids and paparazzi who have captured almost his every move from childhood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Then Harry met Meghan, offering the tabloids new material.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The case, the third and final one brought by the Duke of Sussex in his acrimonious legal battle with British tabloids, has further strained relations with the royal family.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

If one filters out banal and impersonal events, most of what’s left are astounding aberrations and coincidences, and one’s mind begins to resemble the headlines of supermarket tabloids.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

• paper