memorial
Americannoun
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something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.
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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.
adjective
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serving to preserve the memory of the dead or a past event
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of or involving memory
noun
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something serving as a remembrance
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a written statement of facts submitted to a government, authority, etc, in conjunction with a petition
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an informal diplomatic paper
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing memorial
Memorial Day Words
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Memorial Day: Words of Respect and Remembrance
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May Vocabulary Words
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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.
Trump called for changes to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool ahead of the country’s 250th birthday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
And a 2016 US government study found perchlorate, an oxidizing agent used in fireworks, had made its way into groundwater and surface water around Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which holds annual July 4 shows.
From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026
On June 5, workers began refilling the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
From Slate • Jun. 27, 2026
Chipped paint and algae are visible in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on 21 June.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
It’s Saturday, and my family is at Uncle Carlos’s house for a Memorial Day weekend barbecue, which is also serving as Seven’s birthday/graduation party.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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.
