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

Yes, there were disputes over Confederate monuments and America’s sins versus America’s promise, but there was also a palpable impatience with history, as if people were afraid of its power to bog you down. —Andrew Moore, New York Times, 15 May 2025

The remote Galápagos Islands of the Pacific, about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, have no historic monuments, only a handful of human settlements and the barest smattering of amenities such as restaurants and shops. —Robin Catalano, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025

Moscow also announced that monuments in Russia's Kursk region would be erected in honor of North Korea's soldiers fighting against Ukraine. —Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025

Full Story Trump reinstating commercial fishing in northeast marine monument President Trump is reinstating commercial fishing in a national marine monument after the practice was blocked by his Democratic predecessors. —Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 10 May 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