tombstones

noun

plural of tombstone
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tombstones The juvenile green, leafy trees had vanished and were replaced by rows of thin, lifeless trunks staked into the ground like tombstones. — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026 The eight objects offered at Bonhams and Apollo Art Auction House include statue heads, an inscription and tombstones. — News Desk, Artforum, 7 July 2026 The group comprises statue heads, a statue, an inscription, and funerary stelae (tombstones). — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026 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 Workmen are erecting identical marble tombstones. — ABC News, 25 Apr. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tombstones
  1. monuments
  2. stones
  3. gravestones
  4. headstones
  5. plaques
Noun
  • Today, the city stretches along the east bank of the Nile, where Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple remain among the greatest surviving monuments of the ancient world.
    — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Interest in the ancient druids emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries among European antiquarians—early modern scholars and collectors who studied ancient remains, manuscripts, and monuments.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of monuments
Noun
  • The group located what appeared to be some foundational stones of a building where a descendant of the homesteaders said the blacksmith shop once stood.
    — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The distinction made by Fawcett is particularly important in jewelry, where the most desirable stones and pieces can be decades or even centuries old.
    — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of stones
Noun
  • Haunted Mansion props on the parade floats will include the conservatory casket, cryptic gravestones, gargoyle candleholders, watchful busts, haunted armor and stretching room portraits.
    — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Almost like gravestones etched with the years of a life, they were marked with the diameter of the trees that had once stood there.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of gravestones
Noun
  • There are two headstones near the entrance to the cemetery, but those are for dogs buried in 1972.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Cervantes told her the cemetery had identified roughly 15 questionable headstones overall.
    — Sara Machi, CBS News, 29 July 2026
Definition of headstones
Noun
  • 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.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 3 Feb. 2026
  • 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
Definition of plaques

Browse Nearby Words

tombstone
tombstones
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Cite this Entry

“Tombstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tombstones. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tombstones

Nglish: Translation of tombstones for Spanish Speakers

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