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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And scripts that hadn’t even been dreamt of have risen to the top of the production pile, with Rock and Clayface being prime examples.—
Borys Kit,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Feb. 2025
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As a result of the selling spree, Berkshire’s gigantic cash pile grew to another record, $334.2 billion, up from $325.2 billion at the end of the third quarter.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The pavement has been dug up by the Israeli military’s D-9 bulldozers – mounds of asphalt and dirt piled up on the sides of roads, often pouring into shops and homes.—
Jeremy Diamond,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
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Now that Alcantara is healthy and back on the mound, he's shown that his arm is doing perfectly fine.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Join 376 others in the comments View Comments Entertainer Kid Rock posted a video of himself shooting a stack of Bud Light cases.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
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But there were a number of vital steps in between those basic actions for astro stacks that proved either fiddly or time consuming, or both.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The two-hour journey cost $70 and was seamless, offering stunning coastal and mountain views along the famous Ruta de Flores.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
20 Feb. 2025
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But even with the possibility of less-than-perfect powder conditions, a trip to Lake Tahoe’s aquamarine waters and rolling mountain ranges, grim Old West histories, and peppy post-Covid population boom is a very good idea this time of year.—
Alessandra Codinha,
Vogue,
20 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to cairn
Cite this Entry
“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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