pillar

noun

pil·lar | \ ˈpi-lər

Definition of pillar

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a firm upright support for a superstructure : post

b : a usually ornamental column or shaft especially : one standing alone for a monument

2a : a supporting, integral, or upstanding member or part a pillar of society

b : a fundamental precept the five pillars of Islam

3 : a solid mass of coal, rock, or ore left standing to support a mine roof

4 : a body part that resembles a column

from pillar to post

: from one place or one predicament to another

pillar

verb

pillared; pillaring; pillars

Definition of pillar (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to provide or strengthen with or as if with pillars

Other Words from pillar Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about pillar

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of pillar in a Sentence

Noun

the ancient Greek temple boasted graceful marble pillars with richly ornamented tops my father has been my pillar throughout this crisis

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Students later observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the crackdown’s victims before scrubbing the pillar clean in an annual ritual. — Washington Post, "Hong Kong activists hold Tiananmen candlelight vigil," 5 June 2019 The company also has several pillars to guide its monthly community giving efforts. — Drivetime, azcentral, "DriveTime brings a collaborative team together to match buyers with dream cars," 4 June 2019 Its high ceilings and glass windows let in a ton of natural light to the great room, illuminating the giant white pillars that have been around since the home was first constructed in the 1860s as a jewelry showroom. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "The Giant Soho Loft From MTV’s The Real World is On The Market For $7.5 Million," 24 May 2019 The floral designs came to life in white vases filled with blooming buds and pink ranunculus, while the intimate setting reflected the brand’s pillar of sisterhood and community. — Neesha Arter, Vogue, "The Dôen Sisters Host a California Dreamy Dinner to Celebrate a New Line With Net-a-Porter," 2 May 2019 Finally, the chipset will support Thunderbolt 3, which began to win out two years ago and is now one of the pillars of USB4. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Intel's 9th-gen mobile Core chips aim for the high end, rocking 8 cores at up to 5GHz speeds," 23 Apr. 2019 The other welcome pillar of Apple’s push into services is privacy and security. — Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Seattle Times, "Apple now wants to do pretty much everything for you, but will you save money?," 25 Mar. 2019 In addition to logging food, the other pillar of the Weight Watchers lexicon is community. — Cheryl Wischhover, Vox, "As “dieting” becomes more taboo, Weight Watchers is changing its name," 24 Sep. 2018 Now, these two pillars of Silicon Valley’s mythos are in tension, just as the collateral damage from the industry’s rise to power has come into focus, and the public’s lack of visibility into their operations becomes evident. — Nitasha Tiku, WIRED, "The Line Between Big Tech and Defense Work," 21 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

All six of the new Yuletide scents start at just $2 and come in various sizes from tiny tea lights and votive lights to pillar candles and large jars. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "The 2018 Yankee Candle Christmas Scents Have Arrived and We Are So Ready," 5 Oct. 2018 The former governor of California took the oak in the marble pillared chambers of the Supreme Court. — Sacbee, sacbee.com, "Warren sworn in as U.S. chief justice," 19 May 2017

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