something erected in memory of a person, event, etc., as a building, pillar, or statue.
the Washington Monument.
any building, megalith, etc., surviving from a past age, and regarded as of historical or archaeological importance.
any enduring evidence or notable example of something.
a monument to human ingenuity.
an exemplar, model, or personification of some abstract quality, especially when considered to be beyond question.
a monument of middle-class respectability.
an area or a site of interest to the public for its historical significance, great natural beauty, etc., preserved and maintained by a government.
a written tribute to a person, especially a posthumous one.
Surveying. an object, as a stone shaft, set in the ground to mark the boundaries of real estate or to mark a survey station.
a person considered as a heroic figure or of heroic proportions.
He became a monument in his lifetime.
Obsolete. a tomb; sepulcher.
a statue.
to build a monument or monuments to; commemorate.
to monument the nation's war dead.
to build a monument on.
to monument a famous site.
an obelisk, statue, building, etc, erected in commemoration of a person or event or in celebration of something
a notable building or site, esp one preserved as public property
a tomb or tombstone
a literary or artistic work regarded as commemorative of its creator or a particular period
a boundary marker
an exceptional example
his lecture was a monument of tedium
an obsolete word for statue
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin monumentum, equivalent to mon- (stem of monēre to remind, warn) + -u- (variant of -i- -i- before labials) + -mentum -ment
A monument is a statue or other sculpture meant to honor a great person, like the Lincoln Monument or Washington Monument. You can find monuments in the downtown area of most cities. Many honor a specific person, while other are dedicated to soldiers who fought in a certain war, such as Vietnam or World War I. Cemeteries are also full of monuments, and monument can mean a type of burial vault. Whenever people create a monument, they're trying to make sure that a person or event is remembered.
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It’s part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument that’s been fighting to stay open since the pandemic.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
The location itself was intentional in its significance, sandwiched between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, just steps away from the partially painted Reflecting Pool and within sight of the White House and Capitol.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
In its suit, the nonprofit said the dark color of the pool's basin "creates the sweeping mirror image of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument that millions of visitors experience every year."
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
There were more than 100 people gathered near to the Washington Monument, including Sydney Beasly, originally from Kentucky.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
“Woodchuck Lodge,” I read on the door, “is a National Monument supervised by the National Park Service.”
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
