as in pile
a small quantity of stones heaped together that usually marks a place
A cairn of loose stones marked the site.
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Recent Examples of cairn
Most remarkable is the cairn-tomb of Gavrinis, one of Europe's great repositories of megalithic art, its interior replete with swirling patterns carved into the rock some 6,000 years ago.
—
The Week Uk, theweek, 12 Oct. 2024
The bones excavated at the site were returned to King William Island in 1994 and interred in a memorial cairn.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024
Ranger died in 1940 and was buried at the summit of Mount Hood, which is marked by a stone cairn and an engraved plaque.
—Meira Gebel, Axios, 20 Sep. 2024
The trail can be confusing so keep an eye open for cairns and tree notches serving as trail markers.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 18 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cairn
The Week Uk, theweek, 12 Oct. 2024
The bones excavated at the site were returned to King William Island in 1994 and interred in a memorial cairn.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024
Ranger died in 1940 and was buried at the summit of Mount Hood, which is marked by a stone cairn and an engraved plaque.
—Meira Gebel, Axios, 20 Sep. 2024
The trail can be confusing so keep an eye open for cairns and tree notches serving as trail markers.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 18 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairn
Noun
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Some stars collapsed to the sea floor, dissolved into piles of goo.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
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Our server noticed and immediately brought us a pile of fleece blankets to wrap ourselves in, a little kindness that made sitting outside actually enjoyable.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And the right-hander was outstanding on the mound as well.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
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Ohtani took the mound to start against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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On the second floor, standing next to wooden bookshelves running as high as six stacks, Peter Sones, 62, and his wife, Lesley Sones, 64, were among the first to visit.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
18 Oct. 2025
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What’s changed is the role private debt now plays in the capital stack.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The model suggested that ice from Antarctica alone — before any additions from Greenland, mountain glaciers or thermal expansion — could raise the seas by more than a meter by 2100.—
Evan Howell,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Oct. 2025
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The director continues to drum up the suspense when, after a Hollywood-style car chase that’s perfectly executed, the clan arrives at Iman’s childhood home in the mountains, where things definitely take a turn into thriller territory and several guns come back into play.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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