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
  • Another catalyst could come in December, when CHIPS Act funding restrictions ease, allowing Micron to deploy its growing cash pile toward a significant buyback .
    — Alexa LoMonaco,Jeff Nash, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Those are anthology series, however, and one season doesn’t necessarily flow directly from the previous one (the large pile-up of AHS lore aside).
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of pile
Noun
  • The Dodgers had Tyler Glasnow on their mound in Wednesday’s Game 4 and Tarik Skubal waiting for a possible Game 5 and this thing feels over.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Chris Sale comes to the mound today looking to keep Los Angeles off the scoreboard.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of mound
Noun
  • Already, the company has managed to bring together the tech stacks of Paramount+, BET+ and Pluto TV, a shift that subscribers and viewers do not notice.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Mozilla’s report on the state of open-source AI finds that 89% of organizations (download required) now use open components within their software stack, and 79% of developers are actively experimenting with open models.
    — Kevin Korte, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of stack
Noun
  • Skydance will have a mountain of debt, projected to be north of $80 billion, after assuming the debt burdens of previous M&A incurred by Paramount and WBD and raising new debt financing.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Some parts of the mountains could get frost Wednesday morning, officials say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 2 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cairn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cairn

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