memorial

American  

[muh-mawr-ee-uhl, -mohr-] / məˈmɔr i əl, -ˈmoʊr- /

noun

• memorials
  plural

1. something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.

2. a written statement of facts presented to a sovereign, a legislative body, etc., as the ground of, or expressed in the form of, a petition or remonstrance.

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adjective

1. preserving the memory of a person or thing; commemorative.

   memorial services.

2. of or relating to the memory.

memorial British  

/ mɪˈmɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. serving to preserve the memory of the dead or a past event

2. of or involving memory

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noun

1. something serving as a remembrance

2. a written statement of facts submitted to a government, authority, etc, in conjunction with a petition

3. an informal diplomatic paper

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• memorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• memorials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of memorial

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin memoriāle, noun use of neuter of Latin memoriālis for or containing memoranda. See memory, -al ¹

Explanation

Just as the Lincoln Memorial pays tribute to Abraham Lincoln, a memorial is anything that symbolizes or celebrates someone who died. Every gravestone in a cemetery is actually a small memorial. A memorial is a service or statue dedicated to someone who died. A memorial service celebrates the life of the deceased. Something written about the dead person can also be called a memorial, and you could say donating to a dead friend's favorite cause is a memorial to them. If it honors the dead, the word memorial probably fits.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

memorial memorials

A short prayer and a moment of silence will be held in the memorial garden, and King Charles and Prince William will lay wreaths.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Dozens of family and friends gathered outside Wildwood Elementary School in Culver City on Saturday for a memorial celebrating Rodriguez.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

At a memorial ceremony in Jerusalem on Monday, the father of one of those killed on 7 October stood up to challenge the prime minister.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Johnny’s house, Ms. Siman Tov adds, “is not just a memorial for Johnny. It’s a memorial for Israel, and all Israelis.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

On February 15, Ann Atwater and Howard Fuller escorted a crowd of several hundred blacks, mostly students from NCC and Duke, for a memorial service at Five Points Park.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

The survivors carved their unspeakable grief into the landscape with the erection of thousands of war memorials.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

On college campuses, the day is now often observed through academic discussions instead of memorials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Some observers, including the authors, claim most memorials disproportionately emphasize the sacrifice of first responders rather than sufficiently recognizing the office workers who lost their lives that day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

They encounter what happened through photographs, documentaries, memorials, classroom lessons and stories told by people who were alive on that day.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Anglicans too went in for uttered miliury flags, and war memorials of other kinds.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• ceremony
• headstone
• mausoleum
• plaque
• remembrance
• statue
• tombstone