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

Rubenstein, who has poured tens of millions of dollars into restoring monuments and historic sites, had planned to step down from the board of the Kennedy Center last month. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2025

Another part of the order reinstates a 2020 order to protect monuments and federal offices from vandalism. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025

Last fall, Sens. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) and Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) helped pass a piece of legislation that called for a Mexican Repatriation Memorial Project, which will place another plaque or monument in Los Angeles. —Victoria Valenzuela, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2025

There's monuments that have come down, they've been renamed. —Abc News, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2025

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