tombstone

[ toom-stohn ]

/ ˈtumˌstoʊn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tombstone ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a stone marker, usually inscribed, on a tomb or grave.

Nearby words

tombigbee, tombola, tombolo, tombouctou, tomboy, tombstone, tombstone ad, tombé, tomcat, tomcod, tome

Origin of tombstone

First recorded in 1555–65; tomb + stone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tombstone

“What I would really like to put on my tombstone is that I was part of my time,” he says.
The Stacks: The Eyes of Winter: Paul Newman at 70|Peter Richmond|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The NTC pretends to govern, but it doesn't have any real power in the interior,” Tombstone tells him.
This Sexy Thriller Is Just the Document the Benghazi Commission Needs|Christopher Dickey|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem gets occasional publicity when a rock star steps in and buys a tombstone for a blues great.
Blues Musicians in Unmarked Graves Are Finally Getting Some Respect|Malcolm Jones|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or you could have a tombstone that reads “Here does not lie Ann Patchett.”
Ann Patchett: How I Write|Noah Charney|October 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

At a recent press conference, Tzipi Livni nailed a quote rich enough to perhaps one day be emblazoned on her tombstone.
Introducing Tzipi Livni to the Occupation|Avner Gvaryahu|October 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But an Eskimo, for his part, can sit all day as still as a tombstone in a cemetery.
Grenfell: Knight-Errant of the North|Fullerton Waldo
Maybe they would have put on her tombstone, "None knew her but to love her."
Georgina of the Rainbows|Annie Fellows Johnston
On the head of a tombstone, the inscription is frequent on the continent.
Notes and Queries, Number 70, March 1, 1851|Various
The hog-back was a tombstone or grave-slab that marked the burial-place of some Scandinavian chief.
Cheshire|Charles E. Kelsey
Last week the tombstone was put up and we all went to see it.
A Young Girl's Diary|An Anonymous Young Girl

British Dictionary definitions for tombstone (1 of 2)

tombstone

/ (ˈtuːmˌstəʊn) /

noun

another word for gravestone

British Dictionary definitions for tombstone (2 of 2)

Tombstone

/ (ˈtuːmˌstəʊn) /

noun

a town in the US, in Arizona: scene of the gunfight at the OK Corral in 1881. Pop: 1547 (2003 est)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tombstone

tombstone

1560s, originally the flat stone atop a grave (or the lid of a stone coffin); from tomb + stone (n.). Meaning "gravestone, headstone" is attested from 1711. The city in Arizona, U.S., said to have been named by prospector Ed Schieffelin, who found silver there in 1877 after being told all he would find there was his tombstone.

tombstone

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of tombstone

Examples from the Web for tombstone

British Dictionary definitions for tombstone (1 of 2)

tombstone

noun

British Dictionary definitions for tombstone (2 of 2)

Tombstone

noun

Word Origin and History for tombstone

tombstone