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
many of the headstones were for children who had died during the influenza epidemic
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Recent Examples of headstones
The result was a database of over 5,000 headstones marking where over 6,000 individuals had been laid to rest.
—
Robbyn Abbitt, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
No one knows where Frank died and is buried, and the Oakwood graves of Helen, Ada, and Dewitt have no headstones.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Jan. 2026
Originally a cemetary, the headstones were removed in the late 1960s to make way for a park.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Those with loved ones at Lafayette Cemetery in Grindstone told KDKA that maintenance crews drove heavy machinery over headstones and graves, cracking some while breaking decorations and damaging American flags.
—Erika Stanish, CBS News, 4 Dec. 2025
Strathroy | Istock | Getty Images For nearly a century, John Dioguardi’s family has been making custom headstones and other memorial markers at Rome Monument in western Pennsylvania.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 30 Nov. 2025
But there were obvious omissions; people with military headstones — the type engraved with a name, a branch and a war fought — weren’t on the list.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 11 Nov. 2025
Israeli soldiers bulldozed the cemetery down the road with no headstones visible to indicate who is buried where.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025
National cemeteries will continue burials, and families can still apply for markers, headstones and burial benefits.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Robbyn Abbitt, The Conversation, 10 Feb. 2026
No one knows where Frank died and is buried, and the Oakwood graves of Helen, Ada, and Dewitt have no headstones.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Jan. 2026
Originally a cemetary, the headstones were removed in the late 1960s to make way for a park.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Those with loved ones at Lafayette Cemetery in Grindstone told KDKA that maintenance crews drove heavy machinery over headstones and graves, cracking some while breaking decorations and damaging American flags.
—Erika Stanish, CBS News, 4 Dec. 2025
Strathroy | Istock | Getty Images For nearly a century, John Dioguardi’s family has been making custom headstones and other memorial markers at Rome Monument in western Pennsylvania.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 30 Nov. 2025
But there were obvious omissions; people with military headstones — the type engraved with a name, a branch and a war fought — weren’t on the list.
—Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 11 Nov. 2025
Israeli soldiers bulldozed the cemetery down the road with no headstones visible to indicate who is buried where.
—Jane Arraf, NPR, 3 Nov. 2025
National cemeteries will continue burials, and families can still apply for markers, headstones and burial benefits.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headstones
Noun
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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
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By day the place was filled with different sorts of tombstones, many of them inside ornamental enclosures.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The videos also testify to Italy’s reverence for the design house, giving it access to palaces and monuments normally closed to commercial activity.—
Jane Wooldridge,
Miami Herald,
19 Feb. 2026
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A week later, the Grant Park Columbus statue was removed, to the cheers of people who said monuments to Columbus are insults to Indigenous Americans.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headstones. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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