as in tombstones
a shaped stone laid over or erected near a grave and usually bearing an inscription to identify and preserve the memory of the deceased
we love to tour old cemeteries and read the hauntingly poetic inscriptions on the gravestones
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Recent Examples of gravestones
Now retired, Rocchetta can still see gravestones from his window.
—
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
By cleaning gravestones at Forest Home Cemetery, these Marquette University High School students are giving back to the community and learning about the city's history.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
All pay rent to the cemeteries, helping fund the upkeep of gravestones while serving as community gathering spaces.
—Diana Hubbell, Saveur, 16 Oct. 2025
In Ferndale, California, Christine and her husband are doing pre-planning and have already purchased and engraved their gravestones in a beautiful cemetery.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Over time, the library buildings expanded to encompass the cemetery, with the Crusade-era gravestones embedded in the flagstones.
—Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
The Gothic spires of Holy Trinity Abbey pierce the drifting clouds, while the Augustinian Friary—a 14th-century monastic retreat founded by the Earls of Kildare—sleeps among yews and whispering gravestones.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Services at the gravestones of Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson are among many that take place before 9am.
—David Nikel, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Nineteenth-century gravestones that turned out to be half-buried had surprises waiting just below the surface, such as sculptures of squirrels and dragons that looked unfamiliar on Polish Jewish graves, said Wrzosinski.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
By cleaning gravestones at Forest Home Cemetery, these Marquette University High School students are giving back to the community and learning about the city's history.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
All pay rent to the cemeteries, helping fund the upkeep of gravestones while serving as community gathering spaces.
—Diana Hubbell, Saveur, 16 Oct. 2025
In Ferndale, California, Christine and her husband are doing pre-planning and have already purchased and engraved their gravestones in a beautiful cemetery.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Over time, the library buildings expanded to encompass the cemetery, with the Crusade-era gravestones embedded in the flagstones.
—Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
The Gothic spires of Holy Trinity Abbey pierce the drifting clouds, while the Augustinian Friary—a 14th-century monastic retreat founded by the Earls of Kildare—sleeps among yews and whispering gravestones.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Services at the gravestones of Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson are among many that take place before 9am.
—David Nikel, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Nineteenth-century gravestones that turned out to be half-buried had surprises waiting just below the surface, such as sculptures of squirrels and dragons that looked unfamiliar on Polish Jewish graves, said Wrzosinski.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gravestones
Noun
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Other shipments containing cauldron, skeleton, or tombstones in the product description are up.—
Lori Ann LaRocco,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
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The museum embraces the town’s unique role as a final home after one’s life, showcasing everything from early-20th-century embalming equipment to the tombstones of 19th-century San Francisco residents — once sold in a Santa Cruz consignment shop and advertised as Halloween decorations.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The ceremony featured a dazzling light and music show outside the museum, with massive screens displaying Egypt's ancient monuments.—
Ayat Al-Tawy,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025
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The functional centerpiece is a six-story staircase, which leads museumgoers past stone monuments and pharaonic statues arranged in reverse chronological order.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gravestones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gravestones. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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