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gravestone

American  
[greyv-stohn] / ˈgreɪvˌstoʊn /

noun

  1. a stone marking a grave, usually giving the name, date of death, etc., of the person buried there.

gravestone British  
/ ˈɡreɪvˌstəʊn /

noun

  1. a stone marking a grave and usually inscribed with the name and dates of the person buried

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gravestone

A Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; grave 1, stone

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.

Their authors were seldom scholars; more often they were nonprofessional writers and editors whose volunteer contributions ranged from family snapshots to gravestone photographs, fragmented town histories, folkloric anecdotes and tall tales.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

“People sell those markers, even those little vases you put on them, and melt them down for money,” says Rebecca Meyer, 48, a gravestone conservationist and president of Epoch Preservation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

In the cemetery, Munzanza's mother Florence knelt by his gravestone and wept.

From Barron's • Oct. 13, 2025

The peacefulness of Sycamore Gap was "of solace" to them all, so much so the tree was depicted on the young man's gravestone.

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025

They left the skeleton of his blackened house behind as a gravestone.

From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender

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.