Illustration of column
- column 2
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
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
New Miss Manners columns are posted Monday through Saturday on washingtonpost.com/advice.
—
Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2023
Stop fantasizing about a potential Newsom race for the White House, George Skelton writes in his column.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Someone San Diego Should Know is a column written by members of the U-T’s Community Advisory Board about local people who are interesting and noteworthy because of their experiences, achievements, creativity or credentials.
—Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023
The type of still will influence the beverages’ final flavor, because pot stills often do not separate the congeners as precisely as column stills do.
—Michael W. Crowder, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023
Beasley designed and welded the towering 38-foot copper column still that sits in the center of the warehouse.
—Megan Farrer, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
As her column became a campus sensation, Allison felt like Georgetown’s own Carrie Bradshaw.
—Taylor Lorenz, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2023
At a recent stop on the Jonas Brothers' tour, the actor was photographed with her husband, Nick Jonas, in a slinky Christopher Esber black column dress.
—Vogue, 13 Sep. 2023
Doric columns are the same type of column that would have been at sites like the Parthenon in the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
—Zachary Smith, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
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Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2023
Stop fantasizing about a potential Newsom race for the White House, George Skelton writes in his column.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Someone San Diego Should Know is a column written by members of the U-T’s Community Advisory Board about local people who are interesting and noteworthy because of their experiences, achievements, creativity or credentials.
—Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2023
The type of still will influence the beverages’ final flavor, because pot stills often do not separate the congeners as precisely as column stills do.
—Michael W. Crowder, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023
Beasley designed and welded the towering 38-foot copper column still that sits in the center of the warehouse.
—Megan Farrer, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
As her column became a campus sensation, Allison felt like Georgetown’s own Carrie Bradshaw.
—Taylor Lorenz, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2023
At a recent stop on the Jonas Brothers' tour, the actor was photographed with her husband, Nick Jonas, in a slinky Christopher Esber black column dress.
—Vogue, 13 Sep. 2023
Doric columns are the same type of column that would have been at sites like the Parthenon in the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
—Zachary Smith, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'column.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing column
Articles Related to column
Dictionary Entries Near column
Cite this Entry
“Column.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/column. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
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
More from Merriam-Webster on column
Nglish: Translation of column for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of column for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about column
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