1A statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a notable person or event.

1. 1.1 A statue or other structure placed over a grave in memory of the dead.
   （墓边或墓上的）塑像；墓碑
   a handsome monument of granite is placed over the grave

   Example sentencesExamples

   • ‘There have been some times in the past when people have damaged graves and monuments, but this hasn't happened recently,’ he said.
   • They're monuments to dead climbers - not gravestones per se but carefully constructed shrines.
   • Originally a combined cemetery and arboretum, the trees soon made way for thousands of graves and monuments from all over London.
   • Most researchers now agree that the pyramids were very elaborate monuments for the dead.
   • The town council closed part of the graveyard at the end of November when council workers found that a number of headstones and other monuments were unsafe.
   • More importantly, villages invested money in re-doing grave sites, covering the dead with multi-tiered cement monuments.
   • He realized this was not just a monument but also a grave, and the inscription was an epitaph.
   • And despite a police appeal the monument from the family grave of Robert, the village schoolmaster for almost 40 years, was not returned.
   • There have been small victories at a local level, with villages achieving exhumations of mass graves, reburying their dead and erecting monuments.
   • He died in comparative poverty, but was buried in Westminster Abbey, where Lady Anne Clifford, countess of Dorset, paid for his handsome monument.
   • Perhaps one of the things war monuments and graves do is to make you reflect on whether you would have the mettle to give your life for what you felt was right.
   • I played along the railroad he helped bring to Ripley, Mississippi in sight of the monument covering his grave.
   • That he might be considered a hero is evidenced by the monument on his grave which was paid for by the passengers on his train, in recognition of his sacrifice.
   • The late sculptor James McKenna was hailed as one of the best sculptors of the millennium at the unveiling of a monument at his grave in Newbridge last week.
   • In addition, some tombstones and other monuments to dead craftsman of all ages throughout Europe, and sometimes America, illustrate their tools.
   • Her admirers later had a monument placed over her grave.

   Synonyms

   gravestone, headstone, tombstone
2. 1.2 A building, structure, or site that is of historical importance or interest.
   历史遗迹；遗址
   the amphitheatre is one of the many Greek monuments in Sicily

   圆形露天竞技场是西西里众多古希腊遗迹之一。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The National Trust also involves volunteers in the physical conservation of sites and monuments.
   • Our individual histories reside in monuments and sites; our collective histories reside in places where we live together.
   • India has many historical monuments aptly notified as world heritage sites.
   • About five million people visit each year to see ancient sites and monuments.
   • Stonehenge is one of the world's best known monuments of the ancient times.
   • For the importance of preserving the historical monuments, say heritage, is being widely recognised.
   • But Zambia offers other attractions like wildlife, a rich cultural heritage and its people, historical sites and monuments.
   • He pointed out that the works would help preserve old buildings and monuments and strengthen their historical and architectural significance.
   • Americans spend millions of dollars to safeguard historic treasures and monuments.
   • Listed historic buildings and monuments are an important part of English heritage and, if lost, the loss is that of the people of England.
   • As a member of the National Council of Monuments of Culture, he has over thirty years of experience in conservation of historical monuments and buildings.
   • The prosperity of this society may be seen from the large stone monuments they erected.
   • It includes important early accounts of such major monuments as Stonehenge and Hadrian's Wall.
   • Historical monuments and buildings need special care if they're to be conserved for posterity.
   • Historical monuments, sites and buildings also came under the scrutinising eye of the engineers preparing the draft plan.
   • Some 20,000 buildings (including whole villages) were burned down, including numerous historical and cultural monuments.
   • As for outdoor statues, they have the characteristic potential of becoming a monument to a country, a landmark.
   • The Shrine is a monument to the dedication of the people who built it and maintained it.
   • An historical monument is interesting, but to make it a tourist attraction, investments are needed in infrastructure.
   • The Abbey site is now run primarily as an historic monument with a museum and visitor facilities.

   Synonyms

   distinctive feature, prominent feature, sight, spectacle
3. 1.3 An enduring and memorable example of something.
   〈喻〉杰作；丰碑；典范
   recordings that are a monument to the art of playing the piano

   属钢琴演奏艺术丰碑的录制品。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Beyond that, the clan system is the ultimate monument to the genealogical structure of society.
   • These grand, leather-bound folios are monuments to the importance that rulers placed on record keeping.
   • The shrine was included in the collection as an important monument in the history of Japanese architecture, no more, no less.
   • Like an old stone barn with hand-hewn beams, they were built to last, enduring monuments to craftsmanship and common sense.
   • The event also felt like a monument to the architectural establishment.
   • Today, this volume stands as a fitting and lasting monument of its time to Finzi's pioneering work on behalf of the composer whose achievements he valued so much.
   • One of the most visible monuments to climate change is the dead spruce forests in Alaska.
   • Pat also contributed his expertise voluntarily over the years and the designs of the buildings are a monument to his skill.
   • I have thereby tried to create another kind of monument, if an academic essay can even begin to bear the weight of such an analogy.
   • The building was a monument to gloomy Edwardian luxury, with a hallway of marble and panelled wood.

   Synonyms

   testament, record, reminder, remembrance, memorial, commemoration, witness, token

   example, exemplar, model, archetype, pattern, nonpareil, paragon