Column Inches

Pronunciation: /ˈkɑləm ˈɪntʃɪz/

Definitions of column inches

noun a unit of measurement used in the newspaper industry to determine the amount of space an article or advertisement takes up in a column of a newspaper

Example Sentences

A1 I don't understand what column inches mean.

A2 Newspapers often measure the importance of a story by the number of column inches it gets.

B1 The article received a lot of column inches in the magazine.

B2 The politician's scandal took up several column inches in the newspaper.

C1 The journalist was awarded for her ability to fill column inches with compelling content.

C2 The editor decided to dedicate a full page to the story, giving it plenty of column inches.

Examples of column inches in a Sentence

formal The article received a significant amount of column inches in the newspaper.

informal The story got a lot of column inches in the paper.

slang That gossip about the celebrity got tons of column inches.

figurative Her accomplishments in the field earned her many column inches in the press.

Grammatical Forms of column inches

• plural: column inches
• present tense: columns inches
• future tense: will be column inches
• perfect tense: have been column inches
• continuous tense: are being column inches
• singular: column inch
• positive degree: column inches
• infinitive: to column inches
• gerund: column inching
• participle: columned inches

Origin and Evolution of column inches

First Known Use: 1880 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The term 'column inches' originated in the newspaper industry to refer to the amount of space an article or advertisement occupies in a newspaper column.

Evolution of the word: Initially used to measure the physical space occupied by content in a newspaper, 'column inches' has evolved to also represent the perceived value or impact of that content in terms of readership and influence.