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.

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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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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

Katha Pollitt, who wrote a column for the Nation, is honestly the only prominent feminist writer whose name I remember regularly seeing in the pages of newspapers and magazines.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

Knowing your track record, you write a column predicting the Dodgers will not win the World Series this year, thereby ensuring that they will, in fact, win the World Series this year.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

In the Fix My Portfolio column, Beth Pinsker offered advice on how to manage your IRA.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

Monday’s column featured Steve Swedberg making the case that airport security is too important to be left in the hands of federal bureaucrats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Nico di Angelo stood in the shadow of the nearest column.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• file
• list