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
James Tolkan plays Gerald Strickland, who worked at Hill Valley High School and, in both 1955 and 1985, was a thorn in the side of the McFlys.
—
Jonathon Dornbush, EW.com, 3 July 2025
Many people had thoughts about what was said, especially the constant thorn in Puff’s side, 50 Cent.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 30 June 2025
Only Victor isn’t out to court easy sympathy, or make Agnes particularly relatable — the thorns still remain on the rose — or give viewers an easily digestible version of a survivor.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2025
For a fatherless girl is an exquisite rose on a branch lacking thorns, there for the picking.
—Heather Scott Partington, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorn
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Jonathon Dornbush, EW.com, 3 July 2025
Many people had thoughts about what was said, especially the constant thorn in Puff’s side, 50 Cent.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 30 June 2025
Only Victor isn’t out to court easy sympathy, or make Agnes particularly relatable — the thorns still remain on the rose — or give viewers an easily digestible version of a survivor.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2025
For a fatherless girl is an exquisite rose on a branch lacking thorns, there for the picking.
—Heather Scott Partington, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 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 14 Jul. 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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