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.

Related Words

Relevance

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
  • CoreWeave’s vast debt pile has been the subject of controversy in the past.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Relocate Leaf Litter and Wood Piles Leaf litter, wood piles, and other yard debris offer shelter not only to pests but also to beneficial insects and wildlife.
    — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of pile
Noun
  • So, Ohtani kept trying to work his way back to the mound for weeks after receiving a lubricating Orthovisc injection in his knee at the beginning of the All-Star break.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • He was fired up walking off the mound in the sixth after fanning Petey Halpin swinging at a 3-2 changeup.
    — Rob Maaddi, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of mound
Noun
  • Twenty Topgolf venues are still running VxRail with the VMware Cloud Foundation software stack.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Systems As for systems, starting with your technology stack, think about how current your hardware and software is.
    — Karl Mawhinney, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of stack
Noun
  • Just be prepared for the machine to spend a considerable amount of time producing a small mountain of plastic waste alongside your masterpiece.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Perfect Road, a documentary from Danish directors and cousins Adam and Christian Bonke, follows him on an extreme journey through some of Europe’s highest mountain passes, while also providing a meditation on modern life and character study.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of mountain

Browse Nearby Words

caïques
cairn
cairns
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cairn. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cairn

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cairn

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All