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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of headstones
More than 100 headstones and monuments, some of which date back to the 1800s, were vandalized and damaged at a Connecticut cemetery this week, according to police.
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David Matthews, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Police are investigating an incident at a Meriden cemetery where there was significant damage and vandalism done to headstones and monuments.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
Wells said all of the headstones will be preserved.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2025
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
Police are investigating an incident at a Meriden cemetery where there was significant damage and vandalism done to headstones and monuments.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
Wells said all of the headstones will be preserved.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headstones
Noun
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Two tombstones have gone viral on Reddit after users noticed a striking difference between the way a husband and wife were memorialized.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Aug. 2025
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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
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During perestroika, the city regained its historical name of Mairupol, and Ukrainian authorities demolished Zhdanov city monuments.—
Yegor Mostovshikov,
The Dial,
9 Sep. 2025
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At the time, the Czech capital still held traces of Kafka’s era; now, Prague serves almost like a shrine to the author, with an official museum and several monuments around town, which range from iconic to kitsch in her view.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Headstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headstones. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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