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

The blast took place near the city’s iconic Red Fort, also known as the Lal Qila, a 17th century monument and a symbol of India’s independence. —Nina Subkhanberdina, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025

The works are being sculpted in Italy by artist Sergey Eylanbekov, who also created public monuments of John Adams and John Hancock for the city. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 16 Nov. 2025

The ballroom that will go up there will be a gaudy monument to vanity, corruption and excess. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025

Somebody should erect a monument to him, or give him a prize; which is exactly what Canal Sur, Andalusia’s public broadcaster, will do at this year’s Huelva. —John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Nov. 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