mausoleum

noun

mau·​so·​le·​um ˌmȯ-sə-ˈlē-əm  ˌmȯ-zə- 

plural mausoleums or mausolea ˌmȯ-sə-ˈlē-ə 

ˌmȯ-zə-

1

: a large tomb

especially : a usually stone building with places for entombment of the dead above ground

2

: a large gloomy building or room

She invited him out of the mausoleum of a parlour into the kitchen.

—D. H. Lawrence

Did you know?

Mausolus was ruler of a kingdom in Asia Minor in the 4th century B.C. He beautified the capital, Halicarnassus, with all sorts of fine public buildings, but he is best known for the magnificent monument, the Mausoleum, that was built by his wife Artemisia after his death. With its great height (perhaps 140 feet) and many beautiful sculptures, the Mausoleum was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Though Halicarnassus was repeatedly attacked, the Mausoleum would survive for well over 1,000 years.

Examples of mausoleum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Plains Township police believe the horrifying heist at the mausoleum on Westminster Road occurred sometime between November 1 and November 6. —Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

Inside November 18th, Tara’s sense of time transforms into something stern and architectural, less a conveyor belt than a mausoleum. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

City and county governments set local rules covering burials, inurnments, entombments and the upkeep of cemeteries, mausoleums and columbariums, according to state law. —Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025

Even newspaper titan William Randolph Hearst rests in an unmarked mausoleum at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park. —Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, from Greek mausōleion, from Mausōlos Mausolus †about 353 b.c., ruler of Caria

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mausoleum

• athenaeum
• coliseum
• colosseum
• mycelium
• corneum
• hordeum
• luteum
• lyceum
• museum
• endothelium
• periosteum
• peritoneum

Kids Definition

mausoleum

noun

mau·​so·​le·​um ˌmȯ-sə-ˈlē-əm  ˌmȯ-zə- 

plural mausoleums or mausolea

-ˈlē-ə

: a large or fancy tomb

Etymology

from Latin mausoleum "a large tomb," from Greek Mausōleion "the magnificent tomb of Mausolus (ruler of Caria, an ancient country in Asia Minor)," considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world