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• monument
  monument

  noun

  something erected in memory of a person, event, etc., as a building, pillar, or statue.
• Monument
  Monument

  noun

  a tall columnar building designed (1671) by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the Fire of London (1666), which destroyed a large part of the medieval city

monument

American  

[mon-yuh-muhnt, mon-yuh-ment] / ˈmɒn jə mənt, ˈmɒn jəˌmɛnt /

noun

• monuments
  plural

1. something erected in memory of a person, event, etc., as a building, pillar, or statue.

   the Washington Monument.

2. any building, megalith, etc., surviving from a past age, and regarded as of historical or archaeological importance.

3. any enduring evidence or notable example of something.

   a monument to human ingenuity.

4. an exemplar, model, or personification of some abstract quality, especially when considered to be beyond question.

   a monument of middle-class respectability.

5. an area or a site of interest to the public for its historical significance, great natural beauty, etc., preserved and maintained by a government.

6. a written tribute to a person, especially a posthumous one.

7. Surveying. an object, as a stone shaft, set in the ground to mark the boundaries of real estate or to mark a survey station.

8. a person considered as a heroic figure or of heroic proportions.

   He became a monument in his lifetime.

9. 1. Obsolete. a tomb; sepulcher.

   2. a statue.

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verb (used with object)

1. to build a monument or monuments to; commemorate.

   to monument the nation's war dead.

2. to build a monument on.

   to monument a famous site.

monument ¹ British  

/ ˈmɒnjʊmənt /

noun

1. an obelisk, statue, building, etc, erected in commemoration of a person or event or in celebration of something

2. a notable building or site, esp one preserved as public property

3. a tomb or tombstone

4. a literary or artistic work regarded as commemorative of its creator or a particular period

5. a boundary marker

6. an exceptional example

   his lecture was a monument of tedium

7. an obsolete word for statue

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Monument ² British  

/ ˈmɒnjʊmənt /

noun

1. a tall columnar building designed (1671) by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the Fire of London (1666), which destroyed a large part of the medieval city

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• monumentless
  adjective
• unmonumented
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• monuments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of monument

1250–1300; Middle English < Latin monumentum, equivalent to mon- (stem of monēre to remind, warn) + -u- (variant of -i- -i- before labials) + -mentum -ment

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

monument Monument monuments

“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom,” Pirro said on social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

A cartoonish monument depicting a certain oafish world leader dominates the intersection outside.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

One of his acrylic paintings, featuring two angels soaring above the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. monument, now anchors a larger body of work, “Los Angelitos.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The monument had long been beset by structural failures and leaks, and Trump championed the project as part of his bid to beautify the capital city.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Entering the monument, they were taken to a small room where Interior Secretary Ickes was waiting.

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman

The Ijima's Leaf Warbler is already classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is protected in Japan as a "Natural Monument."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

The reflecting pool sits along the axis between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and is among the most photographed sites in Washington, amplifying attention on any visible changes.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

"From the deepest part of our hearts, thank you, and we'll see you in the stars," the team signed off, before listing the content fans can expect from the final update, Monument of Triumph.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

In its suit, the nonprofit said the dark color of the pool's basin "creates the sweeping mirror image of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument that millions of visitors experience every year."

From Barron's ● May 11, 2026

Now, standing on the White House balcony, gazing out at the Washington Monument, Kennedy wondered if he would be the first president to need the bunker.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Alicante gives it ill-fated monuments and exuberant crowds.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

"The evidence is clear, vandals have repeatedly caused damage to the Reflecting Pool," Burgum posted on X. "We won't back down to deranged people who want to destroy, deface, or degrade our monuments."

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

They built some of Rome’s vital monuments, such as the Colosseum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Its carefully planned streets and advanced brick drainage systems indicate that resources were directed toward shared infrastructure rather than monuments celebrating rulers or religious elites.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

Some had domes and columned porticoes, like national monuments.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• gravestone
• headstone
• marker
• masterpiece
• mausoleum
• pillar
• shrine
• slab
• statue
• stele
• stone
• tablet
• testament
• tomb
• tombstone
• tribute