column

noun col·umn \ ˈkä-ləm also ˈkäl-yəm \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: column in a Sentence

Definition of column

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

play \ˈkä-ləmd, ˈkäl-yəmd\ adjective

See column defined for English-language learners

See column defined for kids

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 of column from the Web

More columns from Joseph Gerth: Hal Heiner will take over Kentucky schools and bring vouchers with him Trump is even willing to go so far as to pardon famous people who don't need a pardon.

— joseph gerth, The Courier-Journal, "What is Trump thinking? Muhammad Ali doesn't need a stinkin' pardon," 8 June 2018
This vast subterranean system features 140-foot-tall natural columns, wondrous stalactites and an actual organ that turns the entire space into a musical instrument.

— laura kiniry, Smithsonian, "The 20 Best Small Towns To Visit in 2018," 5 June 2018
The towering column of ash covered nearby villages and shut down air traffic over Guatemala City, the country's capital about 27 miles away.

— Fox News, "David Limbaugh, Andy McCarthy break down the Mueller probe," 4 June 2018
To submit questions for the following week's column, simply tweet at @Daniel_Rapaport or @SI_Golf.

— daniel rapaport, SI.com, "FORE Questions: Young Americans Are Dominating Professional Golf," 28 May 2018
Thanks to her expertise and wide range of skills, Sarnacki’s column, Act Out with Aislinn: Adventures in the Maine Wilderness, has an ever-growing stream of devoted followers, with nearly 3 million page views since its inception.

— lisa wood shapiro, Outside Online, "What This Adventure Writer Takes into the Woods," 24 May 2018
Rooftops, pennants, pediments, columns, and banners, in flaming shades of magenta, vermilion, chrome yellow, and aqua, as if King Arthur’s Court and Ringling Brothers joined forces and spent too much time in the sun.

— alexandra lange, Curbed, "Lessons from LA’s 1984 Summer Olympics," 17 May 2018
Actually, the patches look more like a peppery soup, because most of the debris is microplastics and because the trash is found throughout the water column, rather than just floating on the surface.

— National Geographic, "Plastics Explained, From A to Z," 16 May 2018
Home delivery of the print edition on Wednesday Friday, Saturday and Sunday with local coverage of issues important to you, investigative stories, thought-provoking columns, dining news and grocery coupons.

— AZCentral.com, "Subscribe," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'column.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of column

Origin and Etymology of column

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

column Synonyms

Synonyms

cue, file, line, queue, range, string, train;

Related Words

echelon, rank, row, tier;

chain, progression, sequence, succession;

array;

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

COLUMN Defined for English Language Learners

column

noun

Definition of column for English Language Learners

: a long post made of steel, stone, etc., that is used as a support in a building
: a group of printed or written items (such as numbers or words) shown one under the other down a page
: any one of two or more sections of print that appear next to each other on a page and are separated by a blank space or a line

COLUMN Defined for Kids

column

noun col·umn \ ˈkä-ləm \

Definition of column for Students

1 : one of two or more vertical sections of a printed page

Read the article in the left column.

2 : a group of items shown one under the other down a page

a column of figures

3 : a regular feature in a newspaper or magazine

a sports column

4 : a pillar used to support a building

5 : something that is tall or thin in shape or arrangement

a column of smoke

6 : a long straight row

a column of soldiers

Medical Dictionary

column

noun col·umn \ ˈkäl-əm \

medical Definition of column

: 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 1, ventral horn — compare funiculus a

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