Thesaurus results for CAIRNS

cairns

noun

Definition of cairns

plural of cairn

as in piles

a small quantity of stones heaped together that usually marks a place A cairn of loose stones marked the site.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cairns Every few feet were cairns of glass swept away from shattered storefronts. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 2026 The Park Service recommends that people not disturb, knock down or add to cairns, though some parks caution visitors not to rely on them as official pathways. — Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026 Above the glacial lake Ullswater, prehistoric cairns and burial mounds dot the high moorland, including the Cockpit Stone Circle, which spans 90 feet. — Andrea Bussell, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025 Found around the perimeter ring, there are six additional cairns. — Mike Bezemek, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairns

Noun

The smell of rotten eggs permeates communities where large piles of decaying sargassum emit ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.

— ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Content piles up faster than it can be classified or reused, and AI only accelerates that.

— Benjamin Faes, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of piles

Noun

Over the years, mounds, pottery shards and other relics of Native American settlements that once dotted the swamp have been discovered.

— Drew Kann, AJC.com, 20 July 2026
In an effort to starve the Native Americans of the Great Plains, white settlers massacred many millions of North American buffalo between 1870 and 1890, piling the animals’ skulls into monstrous mounds reaching up to the sky.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Definition of mounds

Noun

The same concept applies to business AI tools that replace 'duct-tape’ stacks used by small businesses.

— TerDawn DeBoe, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
As vehicles age, OE on-board hardware becomes obsolete as cellular providers replace older technology and automakers stop investing in aging back-end stacks and features.

— Michael Harley, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026

Definition of stacks

Noun

The heaps of body horror and gritty special effects definitely helped, on top of a breakout performance from Sharlto Copley who conveyed a palpable sense of desperation.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 23 July 2026
Next door is a vast haberdashery, with sewing kits, yarns, buttons, quilt patches and threads merchandised in colorful heaps on tables and along walls.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 July 2026

Definition of heaps

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cairn

cairns

caisson

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“Cairns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairns. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of cairns

noun

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