cairn

noun

Definition of cairnnext
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

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 cairn Some are surrounded by miniature fields, identifiable by alignments of boulders or cairns that were heaped up when the land was cleared of stones. — Literary Hub, 26 Jan. 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 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 See All Example Sentences for cairn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairn
  1. pile
  2. mound
  3. stack
  4. mountain
Noun
  • The kitchen’s electrical oven roasts them during the daytime; they’re then chilled and served cold, with hot sauce, a ramekin of mayonnaise, and a pile of pickle spears.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026
  • There's a miniature sailboat mounted on a wall, a marble plinth bearing a pile of seashells.
    — Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of pile
Noun
  • That remained the case on Thursday with Gerrit Cole on the mound.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The Giants have now lost each of Roupp’s last six starts and 17 of the last 19 games he’s been on the mound.
    — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of mound
Noun
  • The river was backed up for seven miles, with misplaced stacks of timber reaching 50 feet high.
    — John Lauritsen, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • An Acquisition Chain, Not A One-Off OpenRouter lands on top of a stack Stripe has been assembling piece by piece.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of stack
Noun
  • The boy was spotted sitting on his own at a hut about 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) above sea level – slightly more than halfway up the country’s tallest mountain – by a worker on Thursday, according to CNN’s affiliate TV Asahi.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Monday will see the riders tackle the first mountain stage of the 81st edition, a tough 174-kilometer (108-mile) route from Gruissan-Aude past the city of Perpignan before the climb to the ski resort of Font Romeu in the Pyrenees.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of mountain

Browse Nearby Words

caïques
cairn
cairns
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Cite this Entry

“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cairn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cairn

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