something erected in memory of a person, event, etc., as a building, pillar, or statue.
the Washington Monument.
any building, megalith, etc., surviving from a past age, and regarded as of historical or archaeological importance.
any enduring evidence or notable example of something.
a monument to human ingenuity.
an exemplar, model, or personification of some abstract quality, especially when considered to be beyond question.
a monument of middle-class respectability.
an area or a site of interest to the public for its historical significance, great natural beauty, etc., preserved and maintained by a government.
a written tribute to a person, especially a posthumous one.
Surveying. an object, as a stone shaft, set in the ground to mark the boundaries of real estate or to mark a survey station.
a person considered as a heroic figure or of heroic proportions.
He became a monument in his lifetime.
Obsolete. a tomb; sepulcher.
a statue.
to build a monument or monuments to; commemorate.
to monument the nation's war dead.
to build a monument on.
to monument a famous site.
an obelisk, statue, building, etc, erected in commemoration of a person or event or in celebration of something
a notable building or site, esp one preserved as public property
a tomb or tombstone
a literary or artistic work regarded as commemorative of its creator or a particular period
a boundary marker
an exceptional example
his lecture was a monument of tedium
an obsolete word for statue
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin monumentum, equivalent to mon- (stem of monēre to remind, warn) + -u- (variant of -i- -i- before labials) + -mentum -ment
A monument is a statue or other sculpture meant to honor a great person, like the Lincoln Monument or Washington Monument. You can find monuments in the downtown area of most cities. Many honor a specific person, while other are dedicated to soldiers who fought in a certain war, such as Vietnam or World War I. Cemeteries are also full of monuments, and monument can mean a type of burial vault. Whenever people create a monument, they're trying to make sure that a person or event is remembered.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
JW: A lot of the money we were raising was going straight into restoration, a stained-glass window here, the bells in the bell tower there, a broken monument restored.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
The 22-foot monument — dubbed “Don Colossus” by some online commentators — was commissioned by cryptocurrency investors connected to a memecoin project and installed at Trump’s Florida golf resort earlier this month.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Last October, the only outdoor monument in Washington to honor a Confederate general -- a statue of Albert Pike -- was restored.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
In 2018, Japan's Osaka city cut its "sister city" ties with San Francisco over its display of a similar monument.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
She shows me a stone monument, like a proud claim staked upon the humble chapel.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
