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

• tombstone
• stone
• plaque

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

Sochi Mayor Andrey Proshunin posted photos of the damage to Telegram, saying a military monument was also struck by debris. —David Brennan, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025

The property once served as a Royal Air Force training ground during World War II, and a monument and cemetery near the first tee commemorate those who served. —Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

At the time, the Czech capital still held traces of Kafka’s era; now, Prague serves almost like a shrine to the author, with an official museum and several monuments around town, which range from iconic to kitsch in her view. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025

The implicit argument was that Washington was, in popular memory at least, pure of spirit, so his monument must be pure of form. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 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