landmark
Americannoun
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landmarks
plural
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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.
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something used to mark the boundary of land.
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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.
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a significant or historic event, juncture, achievement, etc..
The court decision stands as a landmark in constitutional law.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a prominent or well-known object in or feature of a particular landscape
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an important or unique decision, event, fact, discovery, etc
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a boundary marker or signpost
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing landmark
50th Anniversary of the March on Washington: "Trying to Inspire a New Generation" by Trip Gabriel
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Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 15–January 21, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The US Senate approved a landmark federal framework for college sports Monday, voting 72-22 to bring order to a multibillion-dollar industry whose biggest events can draw television audiences comparable to major professional championships.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
In a landmark 2020 study, Hablitz, Nedergaard, and colleagues demonstrated that glymphatic function follows daily cycles even independently of sleep, establishing a direct link between circadian biology and the brain's waste-clearing system.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
After the tree was felled, seedlings were kept in a secret National Trust centre to help preserve the legacy of the much-photographed landmark.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
A county geologist asserted that the application should be denied because mining had been dormant at the site long before the state’s landmark surface mining law took effect in 1976.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
They aimed for the Colosseum because that was an easy landmark, but getting there proved harder than Percy anticipated.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
But the German capital has long been defined by its contrasts: Historic landmarks and world-class museums stand alongside Brutalist architecture, independent fashion labels and one of Europe’s most influential contemporary art scenes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The eastern city of Baalbek has one of Lebanon's best-known landmarks: a stunningly well-preserved Roman temple complex set against the mountainous border with Syria.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
A favorite spot for movie and TV filming, it has survived earthquakes, a notorious shooting and other natural disasters, But early Monday, a fire ripped through the district, destroying some of its most cherished landmarks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
They continued: "A beautiful Sydney skyline brings the course to life, featuring the landmarks runners will experience along the way - starting with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and finishing at the world-famous Sydney Opera House."
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Across America, there are schools, cities, and other landmarks named in their honor.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
