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

There is a Little Havana, with stores and restaurants that evoke those on the island, and a park where men gather to play dominoes beside a monument commemorating the botched Bay of Pigs invasion. —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

In July, developer BBN architects held informational meetings with residents to get their thoughts on four options — with two proposals that would knock down the City Hall building, moving it to the same lot as the fire station and creating a monument at the old site. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025

Over Labor Day weekend, the town unveiled a much more prominent monument to commemorate the 140th anniversary. —Jenna McMurtry, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025

Frequent reminders of the government's power and role in dominating public life, in part with monuments and banners dedicated to the leader. —Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 28 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