as in pile
a small quantity of stones heaped together that usually marks a place
A cairn of loose stones marked the site.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cairn
Most of what remains of the historic General Crook Trail are eroding two tracks, toppled rock cairns, tree blazes, a few telegraph insulators and roadside monuments.
—
Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
Last year alone, vandals sprayed red paint on trees, rocks and cairns at Acadia National Park; smashed windows and kicked in doors at Mammoth Cave National Park; and damaged the historic church at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
Narrow passages lead into these cairns, which hold several tombs.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
According to the park service, cairns are most commonly used to designate hiking routes.
—Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
Last year alone, vandals sprayed red paint on trees, rocks and cairns at Acadia National Park; smashed windows and kicked in doors at Mammoth Cave National Park; and damaged the historic church at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
Narrow passages lead into these cairns, which hold several tombs.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024
According to the park service, cairns are most commonly used to designate hiking routes.
—Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for cairn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cairn
Noun
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Listen to this article Outside of the typical deviled eggs, carrot cake and piles of candy known to come with Easter, San Diego’s restaurants have more to offer.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
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The rugs were made using five different weaving techniques, including Beni’s debut of the Rabat method—characterized by fine knotting and low pile for elegant, exacting detail.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be on the mound for Los Angeles, with Jesus Luzardo on the hill for Philadelphia.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
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Sosa and Johan Rojas started because the opponent had a lefty on the mound.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The site contains vertical stacks of dinosaur skeletons, often buried on top of one another.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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Plus, small items often fall through the cracks and the wire prevents stacks of clothes from staying neat and organized.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The stand-up star celebrated the major milestone on Feb. 25 by skiing down a mountain in nothing but a red bikini, with a large group of women also sporting bathing suits in the snow.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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In footage shared with CNN, he can be seen on a foggy mountain as the wind blows.—
Madalena Araujo,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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