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
Inside every cairn, the team unearthed countless human and animal bones, often fragmented.
—
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
The bones excavated at the site were returned to King William Island in 1994 and interred in a memorial cairn.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
The bones excavated at the site were returned to King William Island in 1994 and interred in a memorial cairn.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Oct. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairn
Noun
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The fluffy 2-inch pile height is soft and plush but can be easily spot cleaned with a damp cloth.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
15 July 2025
-
Boogie, a petty thief surrounded by piles of loot, pointed us toward a set of stairwells back in Red’s building.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Before the season started, the idea of Ohtani returning to the mound for the Dodgers seemed like a quaint midseason development.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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After brushing back former Stanford teammate Kyle Stowers with his first pitch to him Sunday, Bubic induced a soft comebacker to the mound two pitches later, stranding runners on second and third to end the first inning.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Under the menu’s premium burger section are the 1948, the Ultimate Super George, the Pub Burger, and the All-Star Cheeseburger, all served with a stack of potato wedges.—
Sofia Joseph,
jsonline.com,
22 July 2025
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The most clear view of the ring stack came in February 2025, when Middleton joined a class of nursery pupils for a trip to the National Portrait Gallery.—
Isaac Bickerstaff,
Glamour,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Held from June 26 to June 29, hikers travel about 1,500 feet up the mountain, enough times to mimic the height of Mount Everest, which is located between China and Nepal.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
27 July 2025
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New York — President Donald Trump has promised to unleash an economic boom that will turbocharge growth, fatten paychecks and chip away at America’s mountain of debt.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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