Canada thistle

noun

: a European thistle (Cirsium arvense) with pinkish-purple or white flowers naturalized as a weed in North America

Examples of Canada thistle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Apply an herbicide labeled for controlling Canada thistle in spring, early summer, or fall. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 June 2025

Several other weeds fall under this law, including Canada thistle, Russian thistle, redroot pigweed, common ragweed and others. —Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 19 Dec. 2024

The other noxious weeds listed in both states are Canada thistle and Kudzu. —Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 9 May 2024

Unlike many other perennial weeds, dandelions don’t spread vegetatively, that is, by creeping along the ground like blackberry vines, or spreading underground by the root like Canada thistle. —oregonlive, 19 Apr. 2022

In addition, the State of Wisconsin also defined three plants to be noxious weeds in the 1970s, including Canada thistle, leafy spurge and field bindweed. —Jennifer Rude Klett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2021

Also prevalent are Callery pear, better known as the Bradford pear, wintercreeper, Canada thistle, garlic mustard, burning bush, multiflora rose, autumn olive, Japanese honeysuckle and Japanese knotweed. —John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Canada thistle

• abyssal
• dismissal
• epistle
• bristle
• fissile
• gristle
• missal
• missile
• nissl
• whistle