as in tombstone
a shaped stone laid over or erected near a grave and usually bearing an inscription to identify and preserve the memory of the deceased
many of the headstones were for children who had died during the influenza epidemic
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Recent Examples of headstone
His parents bought a double plot, installed a double headstone; one half is still smooth and blank, awaiting inscription.
—
David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
As his fingers gently run across the letters forming Alex's name on the headstone, Elsa stresses how his memories of her never faded.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2025
The headstone belongs to Charlie Houck, a traveling circus animal trainer who died in a Charlotte hospital in 1930 after a lion scratched his arm, causing a fatal infection.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2025
But the company also has invisible enemies, and when the cemetery is vandalized—the systems hacked, the casket-cam headstones torn from their foundations—Karsh has a mystery on his hands.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headstone
David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
As his fingers gently run across the letters forming Alex's name on the headstone, Elsa stresses how his memories of her never faded.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2025
The headstone belongs to Charlie Houck, a traveling circus animal trainer who died in a Charlotte hospital in 1930 after a lion scratched his arm, causing a fatal infection.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2025
But the company also has invisible enemies, and when the cemetery is vandalized—the systems hacked, the casket-cam headstones torn from their foundations—Karsh has a mystery on his hands.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headstone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headstone
Noun
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Nearby tombstones have been defaced as well — with arrows pointing visitors toward 'Jim' — though cemetery staff have wiped them clean and erected metal barricades to curb unauthorized tributes.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
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Belinda Mott, whose sister Juanita Mott’s remains were found in the Wests’ cellar, is seen visiting her sister’s tombstone.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Yes, there were disputes over Confederate monuments and America’s sins versus America’s promise, but there was also a palpable impatience with history, as if people were afraid of its power to bog you down.—
Andrew Moore,
New York Times,
15 May 2025
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The remote Galápagos Islands of the Pacific, about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, have no historic monuments, only a handful of human settlements and the barest smattering of amenities such as restaurants and shops.—
Robin Catalano,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Headstone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headstone. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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