How to Use a thorn in the/someone's flesh/side in a Sentence

a thorn in the/someone's flesh/side

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  • Gallaher has been a thorn in the side of the village for years.
    Corrinne Hess, Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2023
  • The bond market has been a thorn in the side of equities lately.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024
  • The network's Farda news service reports intensely on life in Iran and is a thorn in the side of the regime there.
    David Folkenflik, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Sturges has been a thorn in the side of Crosby and Judd during recent public meetings.
    Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 30 Nov. 2022
  • The rule has been a thorn in the side of defendants -- including record labels and major artists -- for decades.
    Jem Aswad, chicagotribune.com, 5 Oct. 2020
  • The world’s most admirable NGOs are a thorn in the side of authoritarians.
    Benny Avni, WSJ, 28 Oct. 2021
  • As a musician, he’s always been a thorn in the side of mainstream country music.
    Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Surging abuse of the drug has become a thorn in the side of the Saudi government, which has taken steps to curb smuggling efforts.
    Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2022
  • Alinejad is a journalist and dissident with a large online following who has long been a thorn in the side of the regime.
    Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 30 Jan. 2024
  • Despite the easing of the inflation rate, still-high prices remain a thorn in the side of consumers, which may explain the dismal Gallup Poll results.
    Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
  • Chaos has convulsed the heart of the European Union whose sanctions and military support for Kyiv have proven to be a thorn in the side of Putin's intentions.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Guerrero’s absence from the game was deeply felt, like a thorn in the side of an otherwise glorious victory.
    Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2022
  • Presiding over it all will be Justice Engoron, a charismatic and eccentric judge who has been a thorn in the side of Mr. Trump and his lawyers for more than a year.
    William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Sinema has already been a key holdout on parts of the president's domestic agenda -- a thorn in the side of progressives.
    Rachel Scott, ABC News, 9 Dec. 2022
  • Inflation has been a thorn in the side of the Fed for more than two years now, but Hatzius believes the central bank may have defeated its greatest enemy.
    Bywill Daniel, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2023
  • 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
  • Bring in regional fans Games populated almost entirely by foreign tourists have long been a thorn in the side of locals.
    Adam Minter, The Mercury News, 12 July 2024
  • Netflix — which has never been willing to give their films a traditional theatrical release — has long been a thorn in the side of theater owners.
    Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2022
  • Johnson did lose 93 Republican votes, and the approach landed him in hot water with conservatives and deficit hawks who have been a thorn in the side of GOP leaders for nearly a decade.
    Marianna Sotomayor, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023
  • The lesser prairie chicken, which was listed in 2023, is similarly a thorn in the side of many Republicans lawmakers.
    Benji Jones, Vox, 10 Feb. 2025
  • As global companies ramp up efforts to bring their staff back to the office, experts have warned there is a growing wave of resentment that could prove a thorn in the side of company cultures for years to come.
    Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2023
  • The 23-year-old’s combination of accuracy with his arm and elusiveness with his legs proved a thorn in the side of the Bengals defense all evening at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
    Ben Morse, CNN, 24 Sep. 2024
  • Manchin, a moderate who has often been a thorn in the side of Democratic leadership, opted to leave the party and register as an independent in May.
    Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2024
  • From its launch in 2021, Hindutva Watch has been a thorn in the side of Hindu nationalists who have been provoking anti-Muslim sentiment for years.
    Parth M.n., Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023
  • While the queen’s steady consistency was largely considered a boon for the monarchy, her children and grandchildren’s lives have occasionally been a thorn in the side of monarchists.
    Rachel Elbaum, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022
  • Adebayo’s averages of 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and about a steal and block per game are modest in comparison to Embiid, but the Heat big man has historically been a thorn in the side of the Knicks in the playoffs.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2024
  • Sign up These protests are nothing new, as political correctness has been a thorn in the side of comedians of every generation.
    Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week Us, theweek, 16 May 2024
  • The Fed may be looking to pause or even reverse interest rate hikes in the next few months, given inflation is falling and the jobs market, which has been a thorn in the side of battling high inflation, is finally weakening.
    Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 17 July 2023
  • Key elements of the upgrade include content aiming to keep consumers on the site for longer, as well as improved guidance on aspects like fit, in a drive to reduce return rates, which have become a thorn in the side for e-commerce players.
    Alex Wynne, WWD, 27 June 2024
  • Inside, angry protesters ransacked spaces where justices discuss cases and decisions, a deeply symbolic target as the court was seen as a thorn in the side of Mr. Bolsonaro.
    Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 Jan. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a thorn in the/someone's flesh/side.' 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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