: any of a genus (Sonchus) of spiny weedy Eurasian and African composite herbs including some (such as S. arvensis and S. oleraceus) widely naturalized in North America
Examples of sow thistle in a Sentence
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Her table was filled with plants such as horehound, which can be used as a cough suppressant; chickweed, used to reduce fevers and hot flashes; and sow thistle, which feeds the heart.
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Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025
Other native plant enemies include sow thistle; dandelions, which spread clouds of seeds once their cheerful yellow flowers dry up; tall bulky horseweed; round-leaved cheeseweed; purslane; and spurge, which blanket the ground like thick green doilies.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2022
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Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025
Other native plant enemies include sow thistle; dandelions, which spread clouds of seeds once their cheerful yellow flowers dry up; tall bulky horseweed; round-leaved cheeseweed; purslane; and spurge, which blanket the ground like thick green doilies.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2022
Cite this Entry
“Sow thistle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sow%20thistle. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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