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\
Synonyms
Examples of thorn in a Sentence
your constant questions are a thorn in my side
Recent Examples on the Web
The final product wasn’t enough to completely satisfy most of the conservative hardliners that have long been a thorn in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s side.
—
Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Navalny, an outspoken critic of Putin, has been the largest thorn in the Kremlin’s side for years.
—Leila Sackur, NBC News, 17 Feb. 2024
The concept of meme stocks has been a thorn in the side of short sellers — traders who bet that stocks will fall by borrowing shares and selling them high with the belief that they can be repurchased later at a lower cost.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
More trending stories: → Texas to 'spring forward': When daylight saving time begins
→ How a six-pack of beer, $100 got rescuers to pull pig out of thorns.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2024
The issue of security has been a thorn in the side of López Obrador, said Guadalupe Cabrera, a security expert from George Mason University.
—Karol Suárez, The Courier-Journal, 11 Mar. 2024
Navalny was, undoubtedly, the biggest thorn in the Kremlin’s side.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024
These arching shrubs sometimes have thorns and can serve as a barrier at the edge of a property.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2024
Using the procedural mechanisms of the House, the lawmakers, called the House Freedom Caucus, became a thorn in the side of Republican speakers seeking to pass legislation through Congress, by pushing legislation that was often unlikely to clear the 60 vote threshold required in the Senate.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024
Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Navalny, an outspoken critic of Putin, has been the largest thorn in the Kremlin’s side for years.
—Leila Sackur, NBC News, 17 Feb. 2024
The concept of meme stocks has been a thorn in the side of short sellers — traders who bet that stocks will fall by borrowing shares and selling them high with the belief that they can be repurchased later at a lower cost.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
More trending stories: → Texas to 'spring forward': When daylight saving time begins
→ How a six-pack of beer, $100 got rescuers to pull pig out of thorns.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Mar. 2024
The issue of security has been a thorn in the side of López Obrador, said Guadalupe Cabrera, a security expert from George Mason University.
—Karol Suárez, The Courier-Journal, 11 Mar. 2024
Navalny was, undoubtedly, the biggest thorn in the Kremlin’s side.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024
These arching shrubs sometimes have thorns and can serve as a barrier at the edge of a property.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2024
Using the procedural mechanisms of the House, the lawmakers, called the House Freedom Caucus, became a thorn in the side of Republican speakers seeking to pass legislation through Congress, by pushing legislation that was often unlikely to clear the 60 vote threshold required in the Senate.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thorn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near thorn
Cite this Entry
“Thorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorn. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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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