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

Officials are now working to preserve the historic domes of the monument — built between 532 and 537 AD — from the threat of earthquakes. —Ashley J. Dimella Fox News, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2025

The following day, an image of a faux Mount Rushmore featuring Eminem, Paul Wall, Russ, and the late Mac Miller (the original rappers proposed to be on the fictional monument) surfaced on social media. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 16 Apr. 2025

Under the Organic Act of 1916, NPS employees are to protect the nation’s parks and monuments while also providing for public enjoyment now and for future generations. —Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 13 Apr. 2025

The project would consist of two monuments — each consisting of a large boulder with one or two pelican statues on top. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 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