Illustration of thistle
plural thistles
1
: any of various composite (see composite entry 1 sense 1b) flowering plants (especially genera Carduus, Cirsium, and Onopordum) that have prickles on their leaves and sometimes on their stems and often have showy heads of tubular, usually purple flowers
also
: any of various other prickly plants
2
often thistle seed plural thistle seeds
: the small black seed of a tropical African herbaceous plant (Guizotia abyssinica) used especially as a source of oil and for bird feed
Examples of thistle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
All those records and tapes and spools and switches and knobs feel as much part of the landscape as the thistles, the moss, the crags, the forests.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2025
Wright's marsh thistle (scientific name: Cirsium wrightii) Zuni fleabane (scientific name: Erigeron rhizomatus)
Reach the reporter at zbradshaw@gannett.com or on X @ZachBradshaw14.
—Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024
Black oil sunflower seeds and thistle seeds appeal to a wide variety of birds.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2024
For England, there is a rose, for Scotland a thistle, for Wales a daffodil and for Northern Ireland a shamrock.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, The Athletic, 24 July 2024
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Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2025
Wright's marsh thistle (scientific name: Cirsium wrightii) Zuni fleabane (scientific name: Erigeron rhizomatus)
Reach the reporter at zbradshaw@gannett.com or on X @ZachBradshaw14.
—Zach Bradshaw, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024
Black oil sunflower seeds and thistle seeds appeal to a wide variety of birds.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2024
For England, there is a rose, for Scotland a thistle, for Wales a daffodil and for Northern Ireland a shamrock.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, The Athletic, 24 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for thistle
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Cite this Entry
“Thistle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thistle. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
thistle
noun
this·tle
ˈthis-əl 
: any of various prickly plants related to the daisies and having often showy heads of mostly tubular flowers
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