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

To achieve it all, Toth sells his concept of a hilltop Brutalist monument to his client Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (Guy Pearce) and the city planning department via a trick of light. —Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 20 Dec. 2024

The National Park Service’s contingency plans call for shuttering the majority of national parks and monuments. —Brian Bennett, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024

Stream the sunrise at Stonehenge Each December and June, visitors flock to the ancient monument in England to celebrate the solstice. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024

Now, it is believed to be more intentional, possibly even coming from another monument. —Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 20 Dec. 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