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
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
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
To avoid legal repercussions, the crew constructed a series of fake foam tombstones to strategically block real ones, complete with fictitious names that jokingly nodded to the cast and crew.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Craters and crushed tombstones at the local cemetery speak to the intensity of bombardment.
—Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2024
There are lots of tombstones of great tech companies that don’t reinvent themselves.
—Alex Heath, The Verge, 6 Dec. 2024
Put tombstones in flowerbeds, hang spiders from windows, or add a spooky wreath.
—Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2024
These can be tombstones cut out of cardboard boxes, using old stockings as spider webs, and getting creative with the leaves and branches in your yard to make festive decorations.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Oct. 2024
The nearby cemetery is full of tombstones for young men who recently died; the previous year, a young man had been found ripped apart in the forest.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2024
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
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
To avoid legal repercussions, the crew constructed a series of fake foam tombstones to strategically block real ones, complete with fictitious names that jokingly nodded to the cast and crew.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Craters and crushed tombstones at the local cemetery speak to the intensity of bombardment.
—Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2024
There are lots of tombstones of great tech companies that don’t reinvent themselves.
—Alex Heath, The Verge, 6 Dec. 2024
Put tombstones in flowerbeds, hang spiders from windows, or add a spooky wreath.
—Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2024
These can be tombstones cut out of cardboard boxes, using old stockings as spider webs, and getting creative with the leaves and branches in your yard to make festive decorations.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Oct. 2024
The nearby cemetery is full of tombstones for young men who recently died; the previous year, a young man had been found ripped apart in the forest.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tombstones
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
-
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
Noun
-
Born in what is now Zimbabwe, Bland spent hours as a child hurling stones at telegraph poles.—
James Wallace,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
These stones are abrasive volcanic rocks that are extremely effective at scrubbing away tough stains.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Gothic spires of Holy Trinity Abbey pierce the drifting clouds, while the Augustinian Friary—a 14th-century monastic retreat founded by the Earls of Kildare—sleeps among yews and whispering gravestones.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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Services at the gravestones of Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson are among many that take place before 9am.—
David Nikel,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
12 Aug. 2025
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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
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 11 Sep. 2025.
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