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 fences around the tombstones and the tombstones themselves were all of a piece, yet each one also proclaimed its difference from the other.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
People used to come to my hotel and leave tombstones and pictures of dead babies.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 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
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
Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
People used to come to my hotel and leave tombstones and pictures of dead babies.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 11 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tombstones
Noun
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February marks Black History Month, a time to examine historic monuments in Dallas that still hold significance for the city's African-American community.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
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His long arm of hate is reaching out to Hispanic Americans and to our cherished monuments.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Fierce sunlight bleaching the stones of the old city, blinding the passengers as porters in white kaffiyehs and djellabas stack their portmanteaus on donkey carts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Levi shoves someone just out of the frame, demands to know who threw stones, and later fires a shot, seemingly away from the crowd.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Even their gravestones do not bear their names.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
-
On some, a photo of a young man or smiling young woman looks out at the nearby carpet of gravestones.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
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.—
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
Cite this Entry
“Tombstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tombstones. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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