pillar
Americannoun
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pillars
plural
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an upright shaft or structure, of stone, brick, or other material, relatively slender in proportion to its height, and of any shape in section, used as a building support, or standing alone, as for a monument.
Gothic pillars; a pillar to commemorate Columbus.
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a natural formation resembling such a construction.
a pillar of rock; a pillar of smoke.
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any upright, supporting part; post.
the pillar of a table.
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a person who is a chief supporter of a society, state, institution, etc..
a pillar of the community.
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a basis or support.
The government regards agriculture and trade as fundamental pillars for the future economy.
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a core tenet, belief, or religious act, especially in Islam.
As the fifth pillar of Islam, every Muslim is obligated to make pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime as long as it is possible.
The Ten Commandments are considered to be pillars of both Judaism and Christianity.
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Horology. any of several short parts for spacing and keeping in the proper relative positions two plates holding the bearings of a watch or clock movement.
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Mining. an isolated mass of rock or ore in a mine, usually serving as a roof support in early operations and later removed, wholly or in part.
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Nautical. mast.
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
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an upright structure of stone, brick, metal, etc, that supports a superstructure or is used for ornamentation
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something resembling this in shape or function
a pillar of stones
a pillar of smoke
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a tall, slender, usually sheer rock column, forming a separate top
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a prominent supporter
a pillar of the Church
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from one place to another
verb
Synonym Usage
See column.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pillar
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English piler(e), pileir, pillar(e) from Old French piler, pileir, piller, and Medieval Latin pīlāre, pīlārium, pīlārius, from Latin pīla pile 1; see also -ar 1 ( def. )
Explanation
If someone describes you as a pillar of strength, he's saying you're reliable and supportive, much like a pillar or column of a building that helps hold the structure up. The spelling of the word pillar looks like it has two pillars right at its center, holding the word up. Pillar is interchangeable with the word column, though you can't always use them in the same contexts. While a column and a pillar are both physical cylindrical structures, a column can also be the row running up and down on a chart, while a pillar is often someone or thing that is considered a foundation or support. Someone indispensable to your company might be considered a pillar to the organization.
Vocabulary lists containing pillar
"Laws are not the only way to boost immunization”: an editorial from Nature
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The Road to Freedom
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Stories of Ourselves
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In Ivory Coast, reducing the "significant weight" of the informal sector with notably the creation of a status for small entrepreneurs is one pillar of an ambitious national development plan, unveiled in July.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
A renter generation is emerging in America, composed of younger people who are renting longer and structuring their financial lives without the traditional pillar of home ownership.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
"Raul's CT scan of a snake embryo revealed a structure we had never seen before ¾ it was a pillar of gut stretching through the spiral of the coiling body," Miyashita says.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026
Steffi Cao argues that as gambling becomes a load-bearing pillar of the economy, trading cards are “basically the closest thing you could get to a sparkly cartoon slot machine.”
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
“Ain’t you afraid you’re going to turn into a pillar of salt?”
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
These are pillars of the American constitutional order.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Nine months in, Lupoi has worked to mold a program that lives by three pillars: relentless effort, ball excellence and power of unit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Inside the park stand 69 white pillars, one for each life lost.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Fertilizer price volatility threatens to undermine two pillars of the administration’s domestic priorities: controlling inflation, particularly food inflation; and eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
In the crazily veering flashes of light, Chess saw dozens of other guards step out from behind the pillars and push the crowd back.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
