monument

noun

mon·​u·​ment ˈmän-yə-mənt How to pronounce monument (audio)
1
obsolete : a burial vault : sepulchre
2
: a written legal document or record : treatise
3
a(1)
: a lasting evidence, reminder, or example of someone or something notable or great
(2)
: a distinguished person
b
: a memorial stone or a building erected in remembrance of a person or event
4
archaic : an identifying mark : evidence
also : portent, sign
5
obsolete : a carved statue : effigy
6
: a boundary or position marker (such as a stone)
7
8
: a written tribute

Examples of monument in a Sentence

They have erected a monument in his honor. the Quakers disapproved of monuments, regarding them as idolatrous, so thousands of Nantucketers spend their eternal rest in complete anonymity
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The hilltop monument wasn’t anywhere near the destructive blazes that night — the fires were too busy destroying residential communities then — but the thought pulled focus from real relief efforts. Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Jan. 2025 Additional locations include the Chapel of the Sorbonne in Paris, which is just 700 meters from the famed Panthéon monument, as well as the Ruins of Old Belchite, a ghost town west of Barcelona. Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2025 The monuments were created over the objections of state officials. Matthew Brown, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025 Essential Reads How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: Biden officially designates 2 new monuments in California President Biden has officially designated two new national monuments in California. Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for monument 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin monumentum, literally, memorial, from monēre to remind — more at mind

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of monument was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near monument

Cite this Entry

“Monument.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monument. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

monument

noun
mon·​u·​ment ˈmän-yə-mənt How to pronounce monument (audio)
1
: something that serves as a memorial
especially : a building, pillar, stone, or statue honoring a person or event
2
: a work, saying, or deed that lasts or that is worth preserving
the book is a monument of scholarship
3
: a boundary marker (as a stone)
4
: a place of historic interest or natural beauty set aside and maintained by the government as public property

More from Merriam-Webster on monument

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