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

The project sits unfinished as a monument to folly.

… Stonehenge yet stands: a monument of the earlier time when the Roman name was unknown in Britain …

—Charles Dickens

(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 of monument

• 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

McBrien and team also trace the tensions the Guidestones ignited across decades, how conspiracy theorists and political actors shaped the monument’s meaning and the timeline of the final days before the 2022 explosion. —Hugo Rojo, AJC.com, 3 Mar. 2026

Semiofficial Iranian news agencies published pictures of the Azadi Tower, a monument in Tehran, surrounded by fire and a black cloud of smoke. —Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026

General Grant Tree is also considered to be a living monument to service members who fought and died in the armed services. —Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2026

Video shows Iranians topple Khomeini monument An eyewitness video is circulating showing crowds taking down a monument to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founding father of the Islamic Republic. —Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 2 Mar. 2026

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