columns

Definition of columnsnext
plural of column
1
as in rows
a series of persons or things arranged one behind another a column of ants stretched between the fallen hot dog and the ant hill

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in pilasters
an upright shaft that supports an overhead structure engraved columns supported the arch on either side

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of columns As the video demonstrates, von Ensingen’s drawing (not in the show, alas) collapses all the levels, complete with stairs, setbacks, vaults, and columns, onto a single plane. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Apr. 2026 Music zines often had the same format, columns from semi-famous punks, interviews with up-and-coming bands, record reviews, and, always shunted to the back, zine reviews. Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026 Flying cows, fiddle-playing cats, and chuckling retrievers inhabit the space between ornate columns. Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Apr. 2026 But as my columns on the Iran War in these pages and on my Substack have argued, that never has been the case. John Seiler, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026 The iconic flacon features a signature dip designed to evoke a woman’s decollete neckline, while its clean silhouette draws inspiration from the geometry of Roman columns. Anne Bratskeir, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2026 Three setbacks provide space for landscaped terraces, and at these floors, the structural columns slope inward, becoming tall buttresses that reintegrate into the latticework. Adam Williams april 21, New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2026 Jessica Damiano writes regular gardening columns for The Associated Press. ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026 Twelve students, including Brendan LaFave, the high-achieving kid from Ann Arbor, live in the three-story brown-brick house, which has white columns along its wide front porch. Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for columns
Noun
  • Dense rows of Xs in the background suggest barbed wire.
    Ben Davis, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Seats just two rows ahead are reselling for a little over $16,000, with some even closer to the pitch going for over $24,000.
    Ben Church, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • In the end, Laffrey, whose Broadway credits include Maybe Happy Ending and Parade, settled for using an iPhone app to record the size of pilasters and mullioned mirrors.
    Carey Purcell, Architectural Digest, 27 Oct. 2025
  • With pilasters, a limestone facade, and classic symmetrical design, the three-story building exemplifies the Beaux-Arts style popular at the turn of the 20th century, grand but not ostentatious.
    Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • All lines will be using a weekday schedule, although Copley Station on the Green Line will be closed all day Monday.
    Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 20 Apr. 2026
  • The monitor showed a slightly bent rectangle covered with dots and lines, which didn’t look so bad to me.
    Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The two pillars of private markets have become deeply intertwined over the past decade, with direct lenders stepping in as a key financing engine for buyouts after banks retreated following the global financial crisis, according to industry veterans.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026
  • Along with North, last year’s inaugural class included Kansas City arts pillars such as visual artist Harold Smith, drum and dance instructor Danny Hinds and singer Darcus Speed Gates, reflecting the range of disciplines the awards aim to recognize.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • If demand rises faster than infrastructure can be approved and built, reliability erodes, reserve margins thin, queues lengthen, delays compound, costs rise, and strategic directives become harder to realize.
    Dan Romito, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Though the Indian government attempted to reassure people that there was plenty of supply, panic swept in in the early days of March, with queues for gas pumps and panic-buying.
    Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The lack of information drove Congress last year to pass the bill forcing the DOJ to release the Epstein files.
    Curt Devine, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Lain believes someone at the Godley Police Department used their position to contact Google to access personal files and weaponize them.
    Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • There were gut strings, then metallic strings.
    Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026
  • The symptoms seemed so disparate, like distinct mugshots neatly pinned to an evidence board without any bold red strings or furious circles to show connection.
    Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Metro offered free rides systemwide on buses, trains, Bike Share and Micro services to encourage residents to use public transit.
    Julianna Lozada, Daily News, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air operate in dense markets where cheap flights compete not only with flag carriers, but with other budget airlines, trains, buses, and short car trips.
    Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026

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“Columns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/columns. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.

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