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

The monument, as envisioned by the foundation, will feature a nine-sided granite base etched with the names of Tarrant residents killed during the war. —Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2025

Much of the village has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, and today harbors 13 classified historic monuments, including the 14th-century stone house, Maison Bordes, and a hospital dating to the 13th. —Mary Winston Nicklin, AFAR Media, 7 Apr. 2025

It was destined to be the definitive literary monument of the Roaring ’20s, a decade of fortunes made and lost on Wall Street. —Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2025

The pinnacle of the reunion was the unveiling of the monument for all survivors. —Arkansas Online, 5 Apr. 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