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tombstone

American  
[toom-stohn] / ˈtumˌstoʊn /

noun

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

Tombstone 1 British  
/ ˈtuːmˌstəʊn /

noun

  1. 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
tombstone 2 British  
/ ˈtuːmˌstəʊn /

noun

  1. another word for gravestone

"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

Etymology

Origin of tombstone

First recorded in 1555–65; tomb + stone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Ain Ebel's cemetery, Jallad caresses her son's tombstone, surrounded by women trying to comfort her.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

Mr. O’Brien refused concessions and tweeted an image of a tombstone “Yellow: 1924-2023.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

Unlike the vast majority of his predecessors, he will not be buried in St Peter's, but in a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in central Rome, beneath a tombstone inscribed only with his name.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2025

They'll just put "American Psycho," the Huey Lewis scene, his business card scene or whatever on my tombstone, and you have to kind of accept it.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2025

In the interest of laying a few to rest, I dedicate to each a tombstone, complete with burial service.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.