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 The body is one of two discovered in 2000 underneath a cairn – a manmade heap of stones usually found on mountainsides – on the northern tip of the Scottish mainland. — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 9 June 2026 The next day, the hottest grandparents to ever walk the earth find Fanny at Jane’s cairn. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for cairn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairn
  1. pile
  2. mound
  3. stack
  4. mountain
Noun
  • Hours later, a group of rescuers in hard hats were using poles stripped from trees to poke at the huge pile of rubble.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • There was a basket with lemons, each one tied with red curling ribbon, fish spices stacked, the register with all the keys covered by a silicone hood, and a pile of newspapers next to a pile of wrapping sheets.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of pile
Noun
  • But despite this, they were still conceived of as being located within the mounds themselves, real-world anchors for these strange, marvelous realms.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Maybe Ohtani will accept surrendering the mound if he is handed a spot in the outfield?
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of mound
Noun
  • The bet on agentic commerce Meta’s full-stack ambitions don’t stop at data centers.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Without that stack, even advanced robotics can remain isolated from the business processes and performance outcomes it is meant to improve.
    — Rodrigo Madanes, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of stack
Noun
  • The bear was also recently featured in Southern Living — for a few months each fall, a local mountain casts a shadow shaped like a bear onto the fall foliage below.
    — Eva Flowe, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This innovation—the mass manufacture of ammonia, vastly more efficient than scraping guano off remote islands or grinding mountains of bison bones—removed the most critical nutrient bottleneck in global agriculture.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cairn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cairn

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