Column Definition & Meaning

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    • Synonyms column American [kol-uhm] / ˈkɒl əm /

    noun

    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 (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.

    column British / ˈkɒləmˌneɪtɪd, ˈkɒləm, kəˈlʌmnə /

    noun

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

      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

    "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

    Related Words

    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

    • columnar adjective
    • columnated adjective
    • columned adjective

    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

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    Read our obituary, an appreciation and a Science of Success column on Reiner’s directing hot streak.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    For that reason, I’m constantly amazed and grateful, given that this column relies on people sharing their stories and risking opprobrium from strangers by asking for advice.

    From MarketWatch

    The Journal’s “Masterpiece” column was launched in 2005 to refute that notion.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    Why this column stuck with me: It’s unfortunate I had to write this.

    From Los Angeles Times

    In my last column, following England's loss at the Gabba, I said they needed to win the third Test in Adelaide, or this tour could get embarrassing.

    From BBC

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    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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