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

Six smaller buildings were later constructed on the property, and the structures collectively became the Hollywood Center Motel, which opened in 1956, according to the monument application. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026

The beautiful isolation of this area invites visitors to explore its archaeological, historical, and cultural monuments and rich biodiversity. —Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026

Mount Hora may have been a natural monument, memorial or place where people returned to share cultural rituals — even generations after the cremation, Sawchuk said. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026

With its brass chandeliers and vaulted Guastavino tiles — named after a Spanish immigrant — the station is a monument to a city that once built great things for working people. —Sameer Butt, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 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