monument

noun

mon·​u·​ment ˈmän-yə-mənt 

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

: national monument

8

: a written tribute

Synonyms

• gravestone
• headstone
• stone
• tombstone

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

At the height of Maya civilization, people in this region built temples, roads, pyramids and other monuments. —Christina Larson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Nov. 2024

Ancient Indigenous mounds found in Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee At Milwaukee’s Forest Home Cemetery, the city’s oldest operating cemetery, history can be seen in every direction – etched on the gravestones, mausoleums and monuments of founders, pioneers, industrialists and beer barons. —Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024

The country has been at the crossroads of ancient civilizations, having hosted Phoenician, Egyptian, Greek, Persian and Roman towns, temples and monuments. —Daniele Hamamdjian, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2024

The Interior Department oversees federal land including national parks and monuments, and administers programs and federal commitments involving native tribes. —Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024

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

Phrases Containing monument

• national monument

Kids Definition

monument

noun

mon·​u·​ment ˈmän-yə-mənt 

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