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
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
Young Hopi men traditionally descended the rugged Salt Trail to the Little Colorado and Sípàapuni, contributing rocks to a cairn that still stands along the route and gathering salt to bring home.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Adam picked up a stone to top off each cairn.
—Stephanie Danler, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2025
Found around the perimeter ring, there are six additional cairns.
—Mike Bezemek, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Andrea Bussell, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
Young Hopi men traditionally descended the rugged Salt Trail to the Little Colorado and Sípàapuni, contributing rocks to a cairn that still stands along the route and gathering salt to bring home.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Adam picked up a stone to top off each cairn.
—Stephanie Danler, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2025
Found around the perimeter ring, there are six additional cairns.
—Mike Bezemek, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairn
Noun
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Abandoned coal mines and slag piles – mountains of waste left over from steel, mining and coal operations – continue to contribute dissolved materials to southwestern Pennsylvania waters.—
Daniel Bain,
The Conversation,
22 June 2026
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The car ended up high-centered on the edge of the manure pile.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
21 June 2026
Noun
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Martín Pérez was on the mound for the home team, a soft-tossing veteran lefty who was pumping in 89-mph sinkers.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
20 June 2026
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Edwin Díaz throwing off mound Closer Edwin Díaz (elbow surgery) has progressed to throwing off the mound.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Noun
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In her office upstairs, there are family photos, stacks of books, and a small trash bin containing an empty can of Diet Coke and a packet of the cat treat Churu.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
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Helios also comes with a software stack that abstracts its user’s intentions from the actual qubit hardware.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
17 June 2026
Noun
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One of Pakistan’s top mediators flew to Tehran to persuade Iranian negotiators to reconsider and come to the talks in the Swiss mountains.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
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That air should be JR’s vital collaborator — no complex and costly scaffolding for these magic mountains — is nothing new in Paris.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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