me·mo·ri·al
mə-ˈmȯr-ē-əl 
1
: serving to preserve remembrance : commemorative
2
: of or relating to memory
1
2
b
: memorandum, note
specifically
: a legal abstract
c
: a statement of facts addressed to a government and often accompanied by a petition or remonstrance
Synonyms
Examples of memorial in a Sentence
Adjective
a memorial plaque on the bridge for a diver who died in the line of duty
Noun
the Vietnam War Memorial is a starkly beautiful testimonial to the bravery of the soldiers who served in Vietnam
Recent Examples on the Web
Ferron Salniker, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
What: Commemorative altars, art installation, memorial roll call, food trucks, beer garden, music and more.
—Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
On Monday's anniversary, first lady Jill Biden laid a wreath at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington and second gentleman Doug Emhoff traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for a memorial observance for Flight 93.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up Some leaders — including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and last year’s G20 host President Joko Widodo of Indonesia — walked to the memorial barefoot in a customary show of respect.
—Krutika Pathi and Adam Schreck, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
Davis’ daughter Persia confirmed her father’s death Thursday on both a memorial page and to Madison 365; Davis taught at the University of Wisconsin for over 40 years, but spent the last two years in hospice care.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2023
Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly will lead a memorial ceremony to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 on Monday at 8:30 a.m. at the county’s emergency services facility, 2220 Ady Road in Forest Hill.
—Jason Fontelieu, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2023
The scale feels unfathomable to this island community of about 160,000 people, as signs of loss are everywhere on the west side, including the missing persons posters hanging in store windows and the memorial crosses lining the only remaining exit from Lahaina.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
That makes this new football season — normally a time of hope and optimism — more closely resemble a four-month-long memorial service, with fans slowly filing past the open casket, paying their respects.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
The memorials are occurring against the backdrop of suspicion among many in Russia’s elite that the Wagner chief’s death was an assassination ordered by Putin.
—Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
Since then, the city has continued to sever ties to the racist past by removing a Confederate soldier statue atop a memorial in a park bordering City Hall.
—Bobby Caina Calvan, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Aug. 2023
Pi remained closed on Wednesday and when Carter arrived, the front entrance was blocked by a makeshift memorial featuring a sea of bouquets, rainbow flags, cards, candles and notes.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
Farley shared an Instagram story showing dozens and dozens of people gathered at a memorial for his father.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2023
At these types of memorials, truth is rarely spoken.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2023
Biden in Maui: Conservative pundits used low-quality video to spread a false claim that President Joe Biden fell asleep during a memorial for Maui wildfire victims.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 23 Aug. 2023
Back home, Jenny takes over Kord Industries and comes to visit Jaime at a memorial for his dad.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 20 Aug. 2023
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Adjective
Sometimes requests come in for memorial pants: calla lilies and butterflies and names to honor a loved one.
—Ferron Salniker, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
What: Commemorative altars, art installation, memorial roll call, food trucks, beer garden, music and more.
—Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
On Monday's anniversary, first lady Jill Biden laid a wreath at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington and second gentleman Doug Emhoff traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for a memorial observance for Flight 93.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up Some leaders — including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and last year’s G20 host President Joko Widodo of Indonesia — walked to the memorial barefoot in a customary show of respect.
—Krutika Pathi and Adam Schreck, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2023
Davis’ daughter Persia confirmed her father’s death Thursday on both a memorial page and to Madison 365; Davis taught at the University of Wisconsin for over 40 years, but spent the last two years in hospice care.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2023
Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly will lead a memorial ceremony to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 on Monday at 8:30 a.m. at the county’s emergency services facility, 2220 Ady Road in Forest Hill.
—Jason Fontelieu, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2023
The scale feels unfathomable to this island community of about 160,000 people, as signs of loss are everywhere on the west side, including the missing persons posters hanging in store windows and the memorial crosses lining the only remaining exit from Lahaina.
—Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
That makes this new football season — normally a time of hope and optimism — more closely resemble a four-month-long memorial service, with fans slowly filing past the open casket, paying their respects.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
Noun
Nothing ceremonial marked the reopening, but a parking lot memorial stood as a reminder of the recent tragedy.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
The memorials are occurring against the backdrop of suspicion among many in Russia’s elite that the Wagner chief’s death was an assassination ordered by Putin.
—Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
Since then, the city has continued to sever ties to the racist past by removing a Confederate soldier statue atop a memorial in a park bordering City Hall.
—Bobby Caina Calvan, Anchorage Daily News, 28 Aug. 2023
Pi remained closed on Wednesday and when Carter arrived, the front entrance was blocked by a makeshift memorial featuring a sea of bouquets, rainbow flags, cards, candles and notes.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Aug. 2023
Farley shared an Instagram story showing dozens and dozens of people gathered at a memorial for his father.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 23 Aug. 2023
At these types of memorials, truth is rarely spoken.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2023
Biden in Maui: Conservative pundits used low-quality video to spread a false claim that President Joe Biden fell asleep during a memorial for Maui wildfire victims.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 23 Aug. 2023
Back home, Jenny takes over Kord Industries and comes to visit Jaime at a memorial for his dad.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 20 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'memorial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing memorial
Dictionary Entries Near memorial
Cite this Entry
“Memorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memorial. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
memorial
1 of 2 adjective
me·mo·ri·al
mə-ˈmōr-ē-əl
-ˈmȯr-
: serving to preserve the memory of a person or an event
a memorial service
memorial
2 of 2 noun
: something that keeps alive the memory of a person or event
especially
: monument sense 1
More from Merriam-Webster on memorial
Nglish: Translation of memorial for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of memorial for Arabic Speakers
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