1
a
: a firm upright support for a superstructure : post entry 1
b
: a usually ornamental column or shaft
especially
: one standing alone for a monument
2
a
: a supporting, integral, or upstanding member or part
a pillar of society
b
: a fundamental precept
the five pillars of Islam
3
: a solid mass of coal, rock, or ore left standing to support a mine roof
4
: a body part that resembles a column
pillarless
adjective
Examples of pillar in a Sentence
Noun
the ancient Greek temple boasted graceful marble pillars with richly ornamented tops
my father has been my pillar throughout this crisis
Recent Examples on the Web
Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024
The extended, structural top has no supporting pillars to ensure the vistas are uninterrupted.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2024
Breaking is one of the four core pillars of hip-hop, along with graffiti painting, DJing and rapping.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
And finally, to the east, a pattern of stone pillar foundations recreates the Big Dipper constellation, with gravel raked in concentric circles around each pillar to emphasize its individuality.
—Paula Deitz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
What are New Jersey’s other economic pillars right now?
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024
While many economists are celebrating that the country appears to no longer be headed for a recession, many are forgetting to explore a crumbling pillar for families: childcare.
—Katherine Goldstein, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
The Roost, which handles ad sales and distribution for The H3 Podcast and The Kinda Funny Podcast as part of its network, is the last pillar left standing of Rooster Teeth.
—Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 9 Apr. 2024
Through daily organizing sessions on Zoom and grass-roots campaigning in battleground states, a sprawling new iteration of the pro-Palestinian movement is now propelled both by longtime — and sometimes hard-line — activists and by mainstream pillars of the Democratic coalition.
—Sheera Frenkel, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Saskia Solomon, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2023
Just one practical example of that purpose in action concerns pillars 3 and 4, and Monin’s 15-year quest to help avoid colony collapse among the US bee population.
—Simon Mainwaring, Forbes, 17 July 2023
The light frayed, ghostly pillars shifting, the voice of God made visible.
—Hazlitt, 7 June 2023
Some of this light comes back toward the metalens, which is pointed, pillars out, toward the scene.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 May 2023
You’re allowed to have Facebook pages that pillar the leaders and.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 23 Jan. 2023
The tall windows, pillared facade, rooftop balustrade, and 90-foot-high rotunda of the main building give it the look of a chateau.
—Adam Hochschild, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2019
The recovery initiative is pillared by a breeding program and habitat safeguards.
—Helena Amante, Smithsonian, 8 Oct. 2019
The team started working on the research which initially began in 2014 with the Staghorn coral, but then the focus shifted to pillar coral because of a disease that has been devastating to the Florida Reef Tract.
—Lauren M. Johnson, CNN, 21 Aug. 2019
Noun
But Anthony sped away, police said, and crashed into a concrete pillar.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2024
The extended, structural top has no supporting pillars to ensure the vistas are uninterrupted.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2024
Breaking is one of the four core pillars of hip-hop, along with graffiti painting, DJing and rapping.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
And finally, to the east, a pattern of stone pillar foundations recreates the Big Dipper constellation, with gravel raked in concentric circles around each pillar to emphasize its individuality.
—Paula Deitz, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024
What are New Jersey’s other economic pillars right now?
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024
While many economists are celebrating that the country appears to no longer be headed for a recession, many are forgetting to explore a crumbling pillar for families: childcare.
—Katherine Goldstein, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
The Roost, which handles ad sales and distribution for The H3 Podcast and The Kinda Funny Podcast as part of its network, is the last pillar left standing of Rooster Teeth.
—Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 9 Apr. 2024
Through daily organizing sessions on Zoom and grass-roots campaigning in battleground states, a sprawling new iteration of the pro-Palestinian movement is now propelled both by longtime — and sometimes hard-line — activists and by mainstream pillars of the Democratic coalition.
—Sheera Frenkel, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Verb
Growing up on this hilltop surrounded by vineyards, the siblings began work early and wore wooden shoes, saving handmade slippers for Mass.
Though money was often scarce, the family had as pillars their deeply religious parents: Teresa, who didn’t work outside the home, and Giovanni, a carpenter.
—Saskia Solomon, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2023
Just one practical example of that purpose in action concerns pillars 3 and 4, and Monin’s 15-year quest to help avoid colony collapse among the US bee population.
—Simon Mainwaring, Forbes, 17 July 2023
The light frayed, ghostly pillars shifting, the voice of God made visible.
—Hazlitt, 7 June 2023
Some of this light comes back toward the metalens, which is pointed, pillars out, toward the scene.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 May 2023
You’re allowed to have Facebook pages that pillar the leaders and.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 23 Jan. 2023
The tall windows, pillared facade, rooftop balustrade, and 90-foot-high rotunda of the main building give it the look of a chateau.
—Adam Hochschild, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2019
The recovery initiative is pillared by a breeding program and habitat safeguards.
—Helena Amante, Smithsonian, 8 Oct. 2019
The team started working on the research which initially began in 2014 with the Staghorn coral, but then the focus shifted to pillar coral because of a disease that has been devastating to the Florida Reef Tract.
—Lauren M. Johnson, CNN, 21 Aug. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pillar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pillar
Cite this Entry
“Pillar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pillar. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pillar
1 of 2 noun
pil·lar
ˈpil-ər 
1
: a firm upright support (as for a roof)
2
: a column or shaft standing alone (as for a monument)
3
: a supporting or important member or part
a pillar of society
pillar
2 of 2 verb
: to provide or support with or as if with pillars
a long pillared hall
Medical Definition
pillar
noun
pil·lar
ˈpil-ər
: a body part likened to a pillar or column (as the margin of the external inguinal ring)
specifically
: pillar of the fauces
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