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
Finishing School is a column in which Mary Norris, The New Yorker’s Comma Queen, asks the eternal questions—Are you supposed to take the toothpick out of the sandwich or eat around it?
—
Mary Norris, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
The Steering Column is a weekly consumer auto column from Cox Automotive.
—Mckynzie Steward, AJC.com, 1 May 2026
At one point, Griffin appears to lunge at Manetta, who evades him by ducking behind a column on the platform.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Bianchi placed third in the column-writing contest in the second-largest circulation division for his work in 2025, APSE announced on Friday.
—Kathy Laughlin, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for column
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Mary Norris, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
The Steering Column is a weekly consumer auto column from Cox Automotive.
—Mckynzie Steward, AJC.com, 1 May 2026
At one point, Griffin appears to lunge at Manetta, who evades him by ducking behind a column on the platform.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Bianchi placed third in the column-writing contest in the second-largest circulation division for his work in 2025, APSE announced on Friday.
—Kathy Laughlin, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for column
Cite this Entry
“Column.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/column. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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