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

Then, when the surrounding air has become heated enough, it forms a column with an anvil-shaped cloud -- the cumulonimbus.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

But he did not write a column about it.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

The most tempting column for an economist to write about the World Cup is the teardown, and I had it drafted before the opening match.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

His online minions attack me fiercely over last week’s column.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

In the first column of the grid below, the word “staff” is written.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

If calculations or assumptions are wrong, floors might be added before columns are properly reinforced and structures could fail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

The Flatiron Building - with its unique triangular shape, narrow prow, ornamental columns and intricate decorative details - has been one of the most recognisable structures in New York City for more than a century.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Arabi estimated that 30 to 40 percent of the site has been damaged, pointing to the collapse of the western arch and its columns.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

The sky was the limit for turning offices into apartments – until some columns buckled.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Miss Phoebe Tolbert wrote the columns about everybody’s comings and goings around the county.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Related Words

• file
• list