tabloid

American  

[tab-loid] / ˈtæb lɔɪd /

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 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

---

Other Word Forms

• tabloidism
  noun

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

Much like her “Chicago” character, Leavitt’s place in the spotlight has come with less-than-favorable tabloid fodder.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

It also helped that the British monarchy retains a certain aura, even after decades of tabloid headlines and Netflix series have tried to drain away the mystique.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

I stopped drinking hot chocolate after reading in a grocery-store tabloid that one shouldn’t drink their calories.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

In a London courtroom days earlier, Harry had marked the finale to another project: a legal broadside against British tabloid press tactics that he says contributed to his 2020 decision to flee the U.K.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 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

Related Words

• paper