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

These foundation piles act as underwater stilts, anchoring and supporting heavy offshore infrastructure.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
Do not compost diseased foliage because home compost piles or bins usually do not get hot enough to kill the pathogens.

— Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of piles

Noun

Although garden mums are considered hardy to Zone 5, breeders have developed fall mums with big mounds of showy flowers that may not be as cold-hardy as in the past.

— Lynn Coulter, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2026
Sign Up for Our Free Daily Newsletter Some hills in northern Alabama are burial mounds from the Copena people who lived there 2,000 years ago.

— Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of mounds

Noun

The Fifth Avenue windows set the tone before guests even stepped inside, with stacks of books wrapped in jackets printed with patterns from the collection, alongside illustrations inspired by the same prints.

— Donna Kim, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2026
Earlier experiments showed optical switching only in magnetic stacks containing no more than three layers.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of stacks

Noun

Jentleson heaps blame on Democratic professionals and activists for frittering away the Obama coalition that scored three hundred and sixty-five electoral votes in 2008 and managed sixty Senate seats the next year.

— Isaac Arnsdorf, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
Directed by Peter Farrelly of Green Book fame, this movie will give you heaps of Hollywood nostalgia and a happy dose of underdog narrative.

— John Ross, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of heaps

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cairns

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“Cairns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairns. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cairns

noun

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