monument

/ˈmɑnjəmənt/

/ˈmɒnjumənt/

Other forms: monuments

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.

Definitions of monument

1. noun

   a structure erected to commemorate persons or events
   synonyms: memorial

   examples:

   Lincoln Memorial

   memorial building in Washington containing a large marble statue of Abraham Lincoln

   Pyramids of Egypt

   a massive monument with a square base and four triangular sides; begun by Cheops around 2700 BC as royal tombs in ancient Egypt

   Statue of Liberty

   a large monumental statue symbolizing liberty on Liberty Island in New York Bay

   Washington Monument

   a stone obelisk built in Washington in 1884 to honor George Washington; 555 feet tall

   types:

   brass, memorial tablet, plaque

   a memorial made of brass

   cenotaph, empty tomb

   a monument built to honor people whose remains are interred elsewhere or whose remains cannot be recovered

   gravestone, headstone, tombstone

   a stone that is used to mark a grave

   megalith, megalithic structure

   memorial consisting of a very large stone forming part of a prehistoric structure (especially in western Europe)

   national monument

   memorial consisting of a structure or natural landmark of historic interest; set aside by national government for preservation and public enjoyment

   pantheon

   a monument commemorating a nation's dead heroes

   Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Seven Wonders of the World

   impressive monuments created in the ancient world that were regarded with awe

   triumphal arch

   a monumental archway; usually they are built to commemorate some notable victory

   cromlech, dolmen, portal tomb

   a prehistoric megalithic tomb typically having two large upright stones and a capstone

   menhir, standing stone

   a tall upright megalith; found primarily in England and northern France

   type of:

   construction, structure

   a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
2. noun

   a burial vault (usually for some famous person)
   synonyms: repository

   type of:

   burial chamber, sepulcher, sepulchre, sepulture

   a chamber that is used as a grave
3. noun

   an important site that is marked and preserved as public property
   examples:

   Stonehenge

   an ancient megalithic monument in southern England; probably used for ritual purposes

   types:

   market cross

   a cross-shaped monument set up in the marketplace of a town where public business is often conducted

   type of:

   land site, site

   the piece of land on which something is located (or is to be located)