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

Today there are various monuments on the land, including Revolutionary War, World War I and II, Spanish American War and Vietnam War. — Sarah Kyrcz, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026

Inside, the house reads less as a monument to excess than a deft riposte to the cold minimalism of decades past. — Natalie Hoberman, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

The protests culminated on Saturday with a rally at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar monument – a site Dipke has not left since. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

The park commemorates the battle of King’s Mountain, a significant victory in the revolutionary war, and offers a variety of outdoor activities and an obelisk monument, for those wishing to memorialize the revolutionary spirit. — Eva Flowe june 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 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