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
  • The 52-acre Landmark Mall site has long been a thorn in the side of the city.
    — Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2020
  • But that’s not the only thorn in the firm’s side right now.
    — Anne Sraders, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2023
  • The law has proven to be a thorn in the side of gig companies.
    — Sara Ashley O'Brien, CNN, 8 Oct. 2020
  • But the Saints have been a thorn in their side in recent years.
    — Richard Morin, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2022
  • The Globes has long been a thorn in the academy’s side.
    — Josh Rottenberg, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2021
  • 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
  • Thanathorn has long been a thorn in the side of Prayuth's government.
    — Star Tribune, 20 Jan. 2021
  • The Chinese gaming hub of Macau has been a thorn in Wynn’s side.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2024
  • This sounds great and all, but every rose has its thorn.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 3 July 2022
  • Ah, disunity -- that constant thorn in the side of the EU.
    — Luke McGee, CNN, 19 June 2021
  • 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
  • In large numbers, crown-of-thorns starfish can mow down wide swaths of coral reef.
    — National Geographic, 3 Mar. 2020
  • 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
  • It's supposed to be a kind of a thorn in Klaus' arse a little bit.
    — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, 13 Aug. 2020
  • Ansari was for years a thorn in the side of Afghanistan’s pro-Western government.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 2 Sep. 2022
  • But to do so, Biden will have to navigate two groups that could be a thorn in his side.
    — Charles Hankla, The Conversation, 4 Dec. 2020
  • Except his olive branch and this plan carry a few thorns.
    — Andrew Callahan, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2024
  • The bond market has been a thorn in the side of equities lately.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024
  • His decades-long ties to China have been a thorn in the Harris campaign's side.
    — Cameron Cawthorne, Fox News, 16 Oct. 2024
  • In our brochure: a father’s grief over his dead father, the thorn broken off in a hand.
    — Kaveh Akbar, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2021
  • Only Great Britain, with its mighty navy, remained a thorn in his side.
    — Washington Post, 5 May 2021
  • 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

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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