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
Of the 22 columns, 12 were profitable and 12 beat the index.
—
John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Submit your questions here and Joe Buscaglia will answer them in his mailbag column.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
To read more of his columns or see more photos of this and other issues’ vehicles, visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz.
—David Krumboltz, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2025
The six authors of this column served as U.S. Forest Service chiefs between 1997 and 2025.
—Mike Dombeck, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for column
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Submit your questions here and Joe Buscaglia will answer them in his mailbag column.
—Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
To read more of his columns or see more photos of this and other issues’ vehicles, visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz.
—David Krumboltz, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2025
The six authors of this column served as U.S. Forest Service chiefs between 1997 and 2025.
—Mike Dombeck, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for column
Cite this Entry
“Column.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/column. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
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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