How to Use thorn in a Sentence

thorn

noun
Definition of thornnext
Synonyms for thornnext
  • The artist had long been a thorn in Mr. Lukashenko’s side.
    — Alex Williams, New York Times, 25 July 2023
  • But that’s not the only thorn in the firm’s side right now.
    — Anne Sraders, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2023
  • But the Saints have been a thorn in their side in recent years.
    — Richard Morin, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2022
  • The next morning, a tiny thorn got wedged into the sole of my son’s foot.
    — Anja Mutic, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2023
  • Gallaher has been a thorn in the side of the village for years.
    — Corrinne Hess, Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2023
  • This sounds great and all, but every rose has its thorn.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 3 July 2022
  • The move was successful, but made Young a thorn in Trump's side.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 13 Sep. 2022
  • My home as a child had one, and in my case, those thorn punctures can hurt for weeks.
    — oregonlive, 27 Nov. 2021
  • Heyward has been a thorn in the Browns’ side since he was drafted in the first round in 2011 out of Ohio State.
    — cleveland, 11 Sep. 2023
  • The sensitivity question has been a thorn in the side of the rapid test from the start.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Dec. 2021
  • If Manchin was one thorn in Schumer’s side, Sinema was the other.
    — Grace Segers, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2022
  • However, the one team that has been a thorn in his side is the New Orleans Saints.
    — Doug Ziefel, Chicago Tribune, 5 Dec. 2022
  • Ankara, however, hasn't always been a thorn in the side of the alliance.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim and Abbas Al Lawati, CNN, 29 June 2022
  • Ansari was for years a thorn in the side of Afghanistan’s pro-Western government.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2022
  • Except his olive branch and this plan carry a few thorns.
    — Andrew Callahan, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2024
  • But while Swiatek is often able to cruise through matches, Ostapenko has been a bit of a thorn in her side.
    — Jesus Jiménez, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2023
  • Ransomware has been a thorn in the side of state and local governments for years.
    — Sean Lyngaas, CNN, 13 Dec. 2021
  • But Harvard has been a thorn in Holy Cross’s side since Chesney took over.
    — Matt Doherty, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Sep. 2022
  • But a poor showing for his coalition could be a thorn in his side for the rest of his second five-year term.
    — Thomas Adamson, ajc, 11 June 2022
  • More:Alexei Navalny, a thorn in Vladimir Putin's side, died.
    — Anna Nemtsova, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2024
  • Takumi’s few words all relate to such matters: the flow of a stream, the thorns on a Siberian Ginseng, the tang of wild wasabi.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2023
  • Upper Arlington continues to be a thorn in the side of the Sycamore girls, as well as most of Ohio.
    — Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 1 June 2022
  • Tagovailoa has been a thorn in the Patriots’ side, with a 4-0 record against them.
    — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Defense has become the main thorn in the side of the Bulls, who ranked as one of the top defensive teams in the NBA only a few weeks ago.
    — Julia Poe, chicagotribune.com, 26 Jan. 2022
  • For America to become whole, the thorns and rocks must be removed.
    — Melissa Noel, Essence, 23 Oct. 2023
  • When thoroughly dry, remove the leaves and thorns and use them for décor.
    — Marissa Wu, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2023
  • What's this going to be like, and how big of a thorn in my side is this guy going to be, and what's going to transpire here?
    — Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2022
  • The Freedom Caucus has been a thorn in McCarthy’s side since the very beginning.
    — Tori Otten, The New Republic, 7 June 2023
  • But the regulator has become a new thorn in Meta’s side.
    — WIRED, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Honey locusts can have wicked thorns — up to eight inches long — and gummy seed pods that make a mess.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2023

Some of 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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