as in monuments
a shaped stone laid over or erected near a grave and usually bearing an inscription to identify and preserve the memory of the deceased
the historic cemetery's many tombstones marking the graves of children are telling reminders of the harshness of pioneer life
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Recent Examples of tombstones
The skies are gloomy and overcast, fitting for a trip among the tombstones.
—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2026
The Pontiac Gazette newspaper in Oakland County reported storm damage included apple and peach trees uprooted or twisted, churches destroyed, and cemetery tombstones blown down.
—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
The veil of past and present, for example, takes an abstract turn in Altar I, while Todos los santos (Para subir al Cielo) shows a cemetery with various cross-shaped tombstones, with a ladder leaning on a wall spectrally overlaid on the image.
—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
22 May 2026
Workmen are erecting identical marble tombstones.
—
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.
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News Desk,
Artforum,
8 Mar. 2026
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
By day the place was filled with different sorts of tombstones, many of them inside ornamental enclosures.
—
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Their names are listed in the African American Museum’s exhibit, but not at the cemetery as there are no tombstones left there – except for a few.
—
Dallas Morning News,
31 Jan. 2026
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
18 June 2026
The Pontiac Gazette newspaper in Oakland County reported storm damage included apple and peach trees uprooted or twisted, churches destroyed, and cemetery tombstones blown down.
—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
The veil of past and present, for example, takes an abstract turn in Altar I, while Todos los santos (Para subir al Cielo) shows a cemetery with various cross-shaped tombstones, with a ladder leaning on a wall spectrally overlaid on the image.
—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
22 May 2026
Workmen are erecting identical marble tombstones.
—
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
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
By day the place was filled with different sorts of tombstones, many of them inside ornamental enclosures.
—
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Their names are listed in the African American Museum’s exhibit, but not at the cemetery as there are no tombstones left there – except for a few.
—
Dallas Morning News,
31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tombstones
Noun
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While buildings and monuments safeguard the past, McGee believes the future of Kansas City jazz ultimately rests with the musicians themselves.
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Within a few years of Euromaidan, the Ukrainian government had outlawed Soviet symbols, including monuments to Lenin.
Noun
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We’re taught to believe that hard work insures a good outcome, even as the stepping stones to a secure life grow harder to find.
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How about the stones on Gisele for not even giving Tom Brady a mention?
Noun
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Haunted Mansion props on the parade floats will include the conservatory casket, cryptic gravestones, gargoyle candleholders, haunted armor and stretching room portraits, according to the concept art.
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Swapping gravestones for fieldstones That trend — along with a desire to improve deathcare — led Connell to partner with Ed Bixby, owner of Steelmantown Church in New Jersey, which operates several green cemeteries nationwide.
Noun
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Hudspeth and other volunteers took over the cleanup by picking up leaves and fallen branches and cleaning broken and toppled headstones.
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Only about 30% of the headstones are legible.
Noun
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When activated, those cells begin clearing away existing amyloid plaques, a process that was associated with reduced plaque buildup and improved cognitive function, the study found.
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And in mice with more advanced conditions, with unstable plaques that are more likely to rupture, treatment reduced the plaque size by 52%.
Cite this Entry
“Tombstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tombstones. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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