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
Beneath the headstones and quiet walking paths of a cemetery in Ithaca, New York, something incredible has been happening — completely out of sight.
—
Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
In January 2024, thieves took more than 700 headstones.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
After enduring years of thieves stealing headstones, the owner of a Compton cemetery decided to sell the property after a person stabbed her three dogs on Friday.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
The town of Red Ash was abandoned in the 1950s, and today, the island lies quietly as a part of West Virginia’s history, with just a handful of headstones remaining.
—Jordan Charbonneau, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
There were previously more headstones before a 1940s landowner had many of them hauled away into the swamp.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026
In Sarajevo, the sight of rows of white headstones bearing the names of thousands of victims killed by Milosevic gives stark testimony to the moral vacuity embedded in the practice of conveniently naïve diplomacy.
—Bill Keane, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
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
Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
In January 2024, thieves took more than 700 headstones.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
After enduring years of thieves stealing headstones, the owner of a Compton cemetery decided to sell the property after a person stabbed her three dogs on Friday.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
The town of Red Ash was abandoned in the 1950s, and today, the island lies quietly as a part of West Virginia’s history, with just a handful of headstones remaining.
—Jordan Charbonneau, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2026
There were previously more headstones before a 1940s landowner had many of them hauled away into the swamp.
—Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026
In Sarajevo, the sight of rows of white headstones bearing the names of thousands of victims killed by Milosevic gives stark testimony to the moral vacuity embedded in the practice of conveniently naïve diplomacy.
—Bill Keane, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headstones
Noun
-
Workmen are erecting identical marble tombstones.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Leave the monuments to the developers and let city employees work in a clean, safe and frugal environment.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The exhibition is the brainchild of guest curator Paul Farber, who spent years exploring the meaning of the statue and public monuments — including through his NPR podcasts — before bringing the conversation into the museum.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headstones. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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