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
Adam picked up a stone to top off each cairn.
—
Stephanie Danler, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2025
Zoom out on the past year’s mountain of TV, and All Her Fault is one pebble in a cairn of series positioning their female characters against abusive lovers or uniting them against a common enemy.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Found around the perimeter ring, there are six additional cairns.
—Mike Bezemek, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025
Stone cairns, serpentine walls, earthen mounds, balance rocks, ancient spring wells, and interesting stone enclosures have been identified as potential early cultural evidence of pre-European native use.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Stephanie Danler, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Nov. 2025
Zoom out on the past year’s mountain of TV, and All Her Fault is one pebble in a cairn of series positioning their female characters against abusive lovers or uniting them against a common enemy.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Found around the perimeter ring, there are six additional cairns.
—Mike Bezemek, Outside, 29 Oct. 2025
Stone cairns, serpentine walls, earthen mounds, balance rocks, ancient spring wells, and interesting stone enclosures have been identified as potential early cultural evidence of pre-European native use.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairn
Noun
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Mendoza will mark the best moment of his life by hugging NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and throwing on the New Era 2026 NFL Draft On Stage Pre-Curved 9FIFTY Snapback Hat in Black and Silver, with a pile of skulls printed on the inside, as seen here.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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San Jose didn’t follow through on the threats to take ownership of the property, but the city did use the receiver to coax the owner to bulldoze the property and remove piles of fire-scarred debris from the empty lots.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Alcantara left the mound with a lead, courtesy of the bottom of Miami’s lineup stringing together hits in the second.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
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Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans stumbled off the mound in the first inning of Friday evening’s season opener at Truist Park.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The employee gave that stack back to Elliott after counting and verifying it.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
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All the better for a secluded adventure along misty beaches peppered with sea stacks and giant kelp.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Although the precipitation may be on the light side, very welcome rain and mountain snow will be common across the Intermountain West with multiple rounds through the week.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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The area's geography of tall seaside cliffs and sharp mountain ridges can contribute to turbulent air and quick weather changes that pose hazards for aviation.—
JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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