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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of gravestones
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
Their lives were modest and so were their graves, marked not with expensive granite but with wooden crosses or metal markers in the shape of traditional gravestones.
—Maria Cramer, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
The couple’s gravestones will be by a willow tree at the edge of the pond.
—Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 29 Dec. 2024
The gravestones are numbered to reflect the burial system that was developed to properly inter hundreds of victims whose bodies were never claimed or identified.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 26 Dec. 2024
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
Their lives were modest and so were their graves, marked not with expensive granite but with wooden crosses or metal markers in the shape of traditional gravestones.
—Maria Cramer, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
The couple’s gravestones will be by a willow tree at the edge of the pond.
—Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 29 Dec. 2024
The gravestones are numbered to reflect the burial system that was developed to properly inter hundreds of victims whose bodies were never claimed or identified.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 26 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gravestones
Noun
-
Fixed a bug where allied player characters could clip through tombstones when Totem Stella was used.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
-
His people had been in the area since the early nineteenth century, and the tombstones were worn and covered in lichen.—
Lawrence Wright,
The New Yorker,
29 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
That meant bouncing along the halls of capitol hill or along the green near historic monuments.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
During World War II, Jenkins began selling items like monuments, tombstones, furniture, home appliances, toys and gifts, in addition to their usual music products.—
Sarah Biegelsen,
Kansas City Star,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gravestones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gravestones. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share