tombstone

noun

tomb·​stone ˈtüm-ˌstōn 

: gravestone

Synonyms of tombstone

• monument
• stone
• plaque

Examples of tombstone in a Sentence

the historic cemetery's many tombstones marking the graves of children are telling reminders of the harshness of pioneer life

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1975, the museum purchased his work Georgia Gate, a structure of fluidly bent pine staves inspired by photos of Georgia tombstones the artist saw in musicologist Marshall Stearns’s 1970 book The Story of Jazz. —News Desk, Artforum, 8 Mar. 2026

Last year, the City Council approved an ordinance to offer rewards for information involving theft of city plaques, tombstones, statues, light standards, and copper wire, and theft of metals linked to the Sixth Street Bridge. —City News Service, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026

By day the place was filled with different sorts of tombstones, many of them inside ornamental enclosures. —Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026

People used to come to my hotel and leave tombstones and pictures of dead babies. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tombstone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• brownstone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone

Kids Definition

tombstone

noun

tomb·​stone ˈtüm-ˌstōn 

: gravestone

Geographical Definition

Tombstone

geographical name

Tomb·​stone ˈtüm-ˌstōn 

city in the southeastern corner of Arizona population 1380

Note: Tombstone was site of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881.