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
Cite this Entry
“Column.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/column. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.
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