me·mo·ri·al
mə-ˈmȯr-ē-əl 
1
: serving to preserve remembrance : commemorative
2
: of or relating to memory
1
2
b
: memorandum, note
specifically
: a legal abstract
c
: a statement of facts addressed to a government and often accompanied by a petition or remonstrance
Synonyms
Examples of memorial in a Sentence
Adjective
a memorial plaque on the bridge for a diver who died in the line of duty
Noun
the Vietnam War Memorial is a starkly beautiful testimonial to the bravery of the soldiers who served in Vietnam
Recent Examples on the Web
Christina Coulter, Fox News, 21 Apr. 2024
On Saturday, May 11, there will be a public memorial service in Graham’s hometown of Miami Lakes at the Miami Lakes United Church of Christ.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Her family launched a GoFundMe account to help pay for Robinson's memorial service.
—Ashley Luthern, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
On April 19, the Prince of Wales, 41, stepped out for the memorial service for Major Mike Sadler at Hereford Cathedral in Hereford, England, honoring the World War II veteran and last original member of the elite Special Air Service (SAS).
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
In the weeks before the news was made public, Prince William canceled a number of public engagements, including a memorial service for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
They were helmed on this night by the invaluable longtime wingman Mac McAnally, who handled lead vocals and emcee duties for a memorial service that felt like anything but.
—Kevin Jeffrey, SPIN, 12 Apr. 2024
Detectives are trying to establish a timeline as to when the stones were last confirmed to be inside the memorial enclosures and are reviewing surveillance video in the area, police say.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
In honor of Bishop Gumbleton’s legacy, the Gumbleton family requests memorial contributions to be made to: The Solanus Casey Center, St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen, IHM Sisters, or Kay Lasante Clinic and select health care/Kay Lasante.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024
Tom Segev, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
The new trees are set to be planted at the Tidal Basin not far from the Martin Luther King memorial, Biden said.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
His 2002 memorial, Concert for George, which featured performances by McCartney, Starr, Clapton and members of the Traveling Wilburys, was re-released in theaters for its 20th anniversary on Nov. 29, 2022.
—Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
All the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo, as well as the monuments and memorials along the National Mall are free to enter, as are several outdoorsy spots like Rock Creek Park and the U.S. National Arboretum.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024
The memorial, which sits at a high point of downtown Montgomery, towers over the rest of the city, making the state capitol look like a toy in comparison.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Additionally, the caucus is urging the governor and state government to create a memorial for the six Latino workers who were killed in the bridge collapse, Snowden said.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Following the performance, Clemens reemerged to lead one final memorial in honor of Keith, expressing his condolences and gratitude to his family — including his wife Tricia Lucus and children Shelley, Krystal and Stelen — who were in attendance.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Second, the blocks that lie on the ground outside the building, according to the accompanying signage, are invitations for people in the counties where lynchings happened to set up their own memorials.
—The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Each year on Christmas Eve, Johnson said, officers would visit the grave for a memorial service.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 21 Apr. 2024
On Saturday, May 11, there will be a public memorial service in Graham’s hometown of Miami Lakes at the Miami Lakes United Church of Christ.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Her family launched a GoFundMe account to help pay for Robinson's memorial service.
—Ashley Luthern, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
On April 19, the Prince of Wales, 41, stepped out for the memorial service for Major Mike Sadler at Hereford Cathedral in Hereford, England, honoring the World War II veteran and last original member of the elite Special Air Service (SAS).
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
In the weeks before the news was made public, Prince William canceled a number of public engagements, including a memorial service for his godfather, King Constantine of Greece.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024
They were helmed on this night by the invaluable longtime wingman Mac McAnally, who handled lead vocals and emcee duties for a memorial service that felt like anything but.
—Kevin Jeffrey, SPIN, 12 Apr. 2024
Detectives are trying to establish a timeline as to when the stones were last confirmed to be inside the memorial enclosures and are reviewing surveillance video in the area, police say.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024
In honor of Bishop Gumbleton’s legacy, the Gumbleton family requests memorial contributions to be made to: The Solanus Casey Center, St. Leo’s Soup Kitchen, IHM Sisters, or Kay Lasante Clinic and select health care/Kay Lasante.
—Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
The memorial also mentions several Jewish victims of Arab robberies and 13 Jews who were killed in British bombing raids on Palestine during World War I. Palestinian historiography and commemorative culture rely on a similarly tendentious use of history.
—Tom Segev, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
The new trees are set to be planted at the Tidal Basin not far from the Martin Luther King memorial, Biden said.
—Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
His 2002 memorial, Concert for George, which featured performances by McCartney, Starr, Clapton and members of the Traveling Wilburys, was re-released in theaters for its 20th anniversary on Nov. 29, 2022.
—Nicole Briese, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
All the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo, as well as the monuments and memorials along the National Mall are free to enter, as are several outdoorsy spots like Rock Creek Park and the U.S. National Arboretum.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2024
The memorial, which sits at a high point of downtown Montgomery, towers over the rest of the city, making the state capitol look like a toy in comparison.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Additionally, the caucus is urging the governor and state government to create a memorial for the six Latino workers who were killed in the bridge collapse, Snowden said.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Following the performance, Clemens reemerged to lead one final memorial in honor of Keith, expressing his condolences and gratitude to his family — including his wife Tricia Lucus and children Shelley, Krystal and Stelen — who were in attendance.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Second, the blocks that lie on the ground outside the building, according to the accompanying signage, are invitations for people in the counties where lynchings happened to set up their own memorials.
—The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'memorial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near memorial
Cite this Entry
“Memorial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/memorial. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
memorial
1 of 2 adjective
me·mo·ri·al
mə-ˈmōr-ē-əl
-ˈmȯr-
: serving to preserve the memory of a person or an event
a memorial service
memorial
2 of 2 noun
: something that keeps alive the memory of a person or event
especially
: monument sense 1
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