column

noun

col·​umn ˈkä-ləm 

 also  ˈkäl-yəm

1

a

: a vertical arrangement of items printed or written on a page

columns of numbers

b

: one of two or more vertical sections of a printed page separated by a rule or blank space

The news article takes up three columns.

c

: an accumulation arranged vertically : stack

columns of paint cans

d

: one in a usually regular series of newspaper or magazine articles

the gossip column

advice columns

2

: a supporting pillar

especially : one consisting of a usually round shaft, a capital, and a base

a colonnade of marble columns

3

a

: something resembling a column in form, position, or function

a column of water

columns of smoke

b

: a tube or cylinder in which a chromatographic separation takes place

4

: a long row (as of soldiers)

columns of troops

5

: one of the vertical lines of elements of a determinant or matrix

6

: a statistical category or grouping

put another game in the win column

columned

ˈkä-ləmd 

ˈkäl-yəmd

adjective

Illustration of column

• column 2

Synonyms

• cue
• file
• line
• queue
• range
• string
• train

Examples of column in a Sentence

a facade with marble columns

Add the first column of numbers.

The article takes up three columns.

The error appears at the bottom of the second column.

She writes a weekly column for the paper.

Recent Examples on the Web

Some questions may turn into Meghan’s column for The Post. Stuck on what to ask? —Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 25 Apr. 2024

The main drag displays a grab bag of architectural references: Ionic columns under a gable roof; a private residence with a castle turret and barrel-tile roofing. —Anna Wiener, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

Binge more Vows columns here and read all our wedding, relationship and divorce coverage here. —Sadiba Hasan, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Numbers’ elegant rounded boxes for row and column numbers and its lucid formula-building bar are wonders to behold. —Edward Mendelson, PCMAG, 11 Apr. 2024

The paved road makes a twisting climb through oak and pine woodlands with columns of stone looming overhead. —Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024

This column is the latest edition of Boiling Point, an email newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024

This column has been edited to correctly reflect the number of children Harry and Susan Pila have. —Hollace Ava Weiner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2024

What causes tornadoes Tornadoes are the most violent storms caused by a violently rotating, funnel column of air touching the ground. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English columne, from Anglo-French columpne, from Latin columna, from columen top; akin to Latin collis hill — more at hill

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing column

• fifth column
• agony column
• advice column
• the personal column
• lally column
• vertebral column
• water column
• spinal column
• steering column

Kids Definition

column

noun

col·​umn ˈkäl-əm 

1

a

: a printed or written vertical arrangement of items

add together the column of numbers

b

: one of two or more vertical sections of a printed page separated by a rule or blank space

c

: a special regular feature in a newspaper or magazine

a sports column

2

: a supporting pillar

especially : one consisting of a usually round shaft, a capital, and a base

3

: something resembling a column in form, position, or function

a column of water

4

: a long row (as of soldiers)

columned adjective

Etymology

Middle English columne "column," from early French colompne (same meaning), from Latin columna "column" — related to colonel

Medical Definition

column

noun

col·​umn ˈkäl-əm 

: a longitudinal subdivision of the spinal cord that resembles a column or pillar: as

a

: any of the principal longitudinal subdivisions of gray matter or white matter in each lateral half of the spinal cord see dorsal horn, gray column, lateral column sense 1, ventral horn compare funiculus sense a

b

: any of a number of smaller bundles of spinal nerve fibers : fasciculus