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
Additional excavations could bring answers, Frame communicated, with the team hoping to find alters — tombstones frequently included the units soldiers belonged to.
—
Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 6 Jan. 2026
Concrete beams standing in the dirt like tall tombstones.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
After days of cleaning graves and decorating tombstones, the graveyard is awash in color and flickering candles.
—Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Other shipments containing cauldron, skeleton, or tombstones in the product description are up.
—Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
The museum embraces the town’s unique role as a final home after one’s life, showcasing everything from early-20th-century embalming equipment to the tombstones of 19th-century San Francisco residents — once sold in a Santa Cruz consignment shop and advertised as Halloween decorations.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
Scott transforms her front yard at 1728 Hanson Lane into a theater of tombstones, complete with scores of skeletons, plenty of pumpkins and a generous sprinkling of ghosts.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
Pipe words onto Milano cookies to form tombstones.
—Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 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
Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 6 Jan. 2026
Concrete beams standing in the dirt like tall tombstones.
—Daniel Estrin, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
After days of cleaning graves and decorating tombstones, the graveyard is awash in color and flickering candles.
—Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Other shipments containing cauldron, skeleton, or tombstones in the product description are up.
—Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
The museum embraces the town’s unique role as a final home after one’s life, showcasing everything from early-20th-century embalming equipment to the tombstones of 19th-century San Francisco residents — once sold in a Santa Cruz consignment shop and advertised as Halloween decorations.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
Scott transforms her front yard at 1728 Hanson Lane into a theater of tombstones, complete with scores of skeletons, plenty of pumpkins and a generous sprinkling of ghosts.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
Pipe words onto Milano cookies to form tombstones.
—Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tombstones
Noun
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For travelers interested in exploring more than just free-entry parks, the National Park Service maintains a database of other sites, monuments, and memorials that don’t require a fee.—
Opheli Garcia Lawler,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
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Its distinctive architecture is especially interesting; an unexpected juxtaposition of awe-inspiring Roman monuments and the charming skyline of a former imperial town.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Loose or missing stones suggest poor maintenance and potential safety or structural concerns, according to Cahill and Thorne.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
10 Jan. 2026
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The stones appear to be set in either an 18-karat white gold or a platinum band.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That started her mission of finding other gravestones with recipes.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Last year, a CNN investigation found that the Israeli military desecrated at least 16 cemeteries in its ground offensive in Gaza, leaving gravestones ruined, soil upturned and, in some cases, bodies unearthed.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
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Many of the burial sites are unmarked or have rocks in place of headstones.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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%.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tombstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tombstones. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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