pillar

1 of 2

noun

pil·​lar ˈpi-lər 

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

see also:

from pillar to post

pillar

2 of 2

verb

pillared; pillaring; pillars

transitive verb

: to provide or strengthen with or as if with pillars

Synonyms of pillar

Noun

• pilaster
• column

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

Noun

In a Wednesday ruling, the Supreme Court weakened a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, striking down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana and empowering officials to redraw state congressional maps. —Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026

For many Black Americans, the decision was a death knell for a cherished pillar of the Civil Rights Movement. —ABC News, 2 May 2026

Verb

Workers saw deep cracks in the building’s support pillars the day before the disaster, but their warnings went ignored. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 1 May 2026

And then there is the Clark County Courthouse, under whose limestone pillars the Ku Klux Klan marched as recently as 1994. —Caitlin Hu, CNN Money, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English piler, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin pilare, from Latin pila

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1787, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pillar

• from pillar to post
• pillar box
• pillar of strength

Rhymes for pillar

• biller
• chiller
• driller
• filler
• hilar
• hiller
• killer
• quiller
• siller
• spiller
• stiller
• thriller

Kids 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