often attributive
1
2
: a woody plant bearing sharp impeding processes (such as prickles or spines)
especially
: hawthorn
3
: something that causes distress or irritation
—often used in the phrase thorn in one's side
4
: the runic letter þ used in Old English and Middle English to represent either of the fricatives \th\ or \t͟h\ and in Icelandic to represent \th\
Examples of thorn in a Sentence
your constant questions are a thorn in my side
Recent Examples on the Web
Thanks, Edison Long a thorn in Edison’s side, Gary Headrick of San Clemente Green has been urging Edison to release all the inspection photos for months.
—
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
To eat the nopales, remove the spines (spikes, thorns, or barbs) and use them raw in salads or cooked in soups or tacos.
—Barbie Cervoni, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2025
What fantastic fantasies will lure risk-seeking treasure hunters to breach the massive walls of iron thorns surrounding mysterious radioactive caverns buried deep in the deserts?
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Those changes, the result of Beijing’s national strategy to control health-care costs, have been a thorn in the side of companies like Danaher and ex-Club holding Abbott Labs .
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorn
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Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
To eat the nopales, remove the spines (spikes, thorns, or barbs) and use them raw in salads or cooked in soups or tacos.
—Barbie Cervoni, Verywell Health, 22 Oct. 2025
What fantastic fantasies will lure risk-seeking treasure hunters to breach the massive walls of iron thorns surrounding mysterious radioactive caverns buried deep in the deserts?
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Those changes, the result of Beijing’s national strategy to control health-care costs, have been a thorn in the side of companies like Danaher and ex-Club holding Abbott Labs .
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorn
Cite this Entry
“Thorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorn. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
thorn
noun1
: a woody plant bearing sharp processes (as prickles or spines)
especially
: hawthorn
2
: a sharp stiff process on a plant
especially
: a stem modified into a short, stiff, and leafless sharp point
3
: something or someone that causes distress or irritation
—often used in the phrase thorn in one's side
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