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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cairn
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
China’s vast coal mountain looks like just such a cairn, to mark a peak our planet’s climate will be glad to see the back of.
—David Fickling, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2024
Last year alone, vandals sprayed red paint on trees, rocks and cairns at Acadia National Park; smashed windows and kicked in doors at Mammoth Cave National Park; and damaged the historic church at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cairn
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
China’s vast coal mountain looks like just such a cairn, to mark a peak our planet’s climate will be glad to see the back of.
—David Fickling, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2024
Last year alone, vandals sprayed red paint on trees, rocks and cairns at Acadia National Park; smashed windows and kicked in doors at Mammoth Cave National Park; and damaged the historic church at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairn
Noun
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Learning that medical options for managing the condition are limited to hormonal drugs and surgery just piles onto the disappointment.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
25 Apr. 2025
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That didn’t bother Robinson, who is an hobbyist diver and had already done a dive visit to the site before acquiring the sunken pile of rusty iron.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And Shohei Ohtani isn’t expected back on the mound until at least the midway point of the season.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Glasnow becomes the 13th Dodgers pitcher to hit the IL this season, which doesn't consider Shohei Ohtani missing time on the mound as well.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In this week’s issue, Lepore turns to her stack of Penguin Little Black Classics, which has become her way to cope with the darkening state of the Republic.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2025
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Arranging Courtside Celebrities On a recent afternoon, Ms. Coller took a stack of her cards to a nearby shopping mall.—
Heather Knight,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
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John Shine described to me a research trip to the hostile mountain environs of Tasmania, where snakes stay under cover except for the 20 or 30 warm days each year.—
Stephen S. Hall,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
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That’s because Prather’s lush pastures back up against a secluded mountain ridge running from nearby Mt. Shasta north to the Oregon border.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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