headstone

noun

head·​stone ˈhed-ˌstōn How to pronounce headstone (audio)
: a memorial stone at the head of a grave

Examples of headstone in a Sentence

many of the headstones were for children who had died during the influenza epidemic
Recent Examples on the Web Paint buckets were left sprawled throughout the cemetery near vaults and headstones. Gerard Albert, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 Now, through his nonprofit, Mills is funding the repair of the Newtons’ headstone at Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Conn. Sydney Page, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2024 The phony headstone had the names of my mother and father on it. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Feb. 2024 Together, the two men cleared brush and righted some of the unmarked headstones. Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024 Volunteers from the local Jewish community gathered at the cemetery on Sunday and cleaned the graffiti from the headstones by hand. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 13 Nov. 2023 Mills also contacted the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to acquire a headstone for the Newtons’ son Stephen, who fought and died in the Civil War and whose remains were not recovered. Sydney Page, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2024 This does not include headstones, markers and burial receptacles buried at the cemeteries, according to the commission's final report to Congress. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 20 Dec. 2023 The family started a GoFundMe to help raise money for a headstone for Sara and raised about a third of the overall cost. Nicole Dungca and Claire Healy, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'headstone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of headstone was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near headstone

Cite this Entry

“Headstone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headstone. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

headstone

noun
head·​stone -ˌstōn How to pronounce headstone (audio)
: a memorial stone placed at the head of a grave

More from Merriam-Webster on headstone

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