landmark
Americannoun
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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
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.
Pacific island neighbour Vanuatu secured a landmark win last year in the International Court of Justice, which found nations had a legal duty to prevent harms from planet-warming pollution.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
The trio are in the middle of a challenging review of a landmark North American free trade agreement, known as the USMCA.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
“A major landmark and historic treasure was being treated like an extreme fixer-upper on HGTV’s ‘Property Brothers,’” she writes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
“The resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy,” Davri said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
We never thought to note a landmark that would be easy to find.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
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.
