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cairns

noun

Definition of cairnsnext
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
  1. piles
  2. mounds
  3. stacks
  4. heaps
Noun
  • Lining the approach to the gate, there was an embarrassment of new undergarments, towering piles of briefs and T-shirts.
    — Devin Friedman, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
  • When snow piles deep in the upper reaches, animals have no choice but to migrate down, since their food sources are covered with snow.
    — Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of piles
Noun
  • 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
  • And in a sense, chocolate may have helped build the Mississippian mounds.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of mounds
Noun
  • Plus, one of the Legislature’s last acts last week was to send Newsom a bloated supplemental budget bill containing more than $3 billion in spending, including countless stacks of pork sought by lawmakers for their districts.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Her existence is solitary by design, freeing her up to disappear into her studies at all hours of the night, the doors of every institution seemingly always ready to welcome her into its stacks and viewing stations and leather reading chairs.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of stacks
Noun
  • 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
  • Order eggs Benedict topped with two generous heaps of caviar and no one blinks.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of heaps

Browse Nearby Words

cairn
cairns
caisson
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Cite this Entry

“Cairns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairns. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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