landmark

American  

[land-mahrk] / ˈlændˌmɑrk /

noun

landmarks plural

1. a prominent or conspicuous object on land that serves as a guide, especially to ships at sea or to travelers on a road; a distinguishing landscape feature marking a site or location.

   The post office served as a landmark for locating the street to turn down.

2. something used to mark the boundary of land.

3. a building or other place that is of outstanding historical, aesthetic, or cultural importance, often declared as such and given a special status landmark designation, ordaining its preservation, by some authorizing organization.

4. a significant or historic event, juncture, achievement, etc..

   The court decision stands as a landmark in constitutional law.

   Synonyms:

   benchmark, watershed, milestone

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verb (used with object)

1. to declare (a building, site, etc.) a landmark.

   a movement to landmark New York's older theaters.

landmark British  

/ ˈlændˌmɑːk /

noun

1. a prominent or well-known object in or feature of a particular landscape

2. an important or unique decision, event, fact, discovery, etc

3. a boundary marker or signpost

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unlandmarked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• landmarks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of landmark

before 1000; Middle English; Old English landmearc. See land, mark ¹

Explanation

A landmark is anything that helps you know where you are — in space, in time, in history. If you’re sailing from Europe to New York, the Statue of Liberty will be the landmark that lets you know you’re in the right port. If you’re walking to your cousin’s house, the pizza shop on the corner is the landmark that lets you know you just have two blocks to go. Getting your driver’s license is a landmark event, as was the Revolutionary War — though which battle was harder is yours to determine.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

landmark landmarks

The Liuzzo family was harassed for their mother’s activism even after her death, but the event galvanized activists all over the country, becoming one impetus for Congress to finally pass the landmark 1965 legislation.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Last month, President Lee Jae Myung commended Chey during the unveiling of a landmark AI investment plan, calling him and Samsung chairman JY Lee "Heroes of Korean People."

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

President Trump said a landmark civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia is subject to the kingdom normalizing relations with Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

In May, Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube reached confidential settlements with a Kentucky school district, averting another landmark trial in the northern California city of Oakland.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

President Lyndon B. Johnson gives Dr. Martin Luther King one of the pens used to sign the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

In France this weekend, the Eiffel Tower and other Paris landmarks announced early closures as a quarter of the country was sweltering under the third heat wave to hit the country since May.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

“These landmarks and monuments belonged to all of us, and they must be protected for generations to come,” Pirro said Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

One particularly moving display by the Pali-Altadena Collective featured participants carrying miniature models of buildings and landmarks lost in the 2025 fires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026

The Hardah Dam volcanic crater is one of the country's most famous natural landmarks.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

More than 11,000 buildings were leveled, including many beloved historical and cultural landmarks.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Related Words

• marker
• memorial
• milestone
• monument
• museum
• tree