thistle
noun
any of various prickly, composite plants having showy, purple flower heads, especially of the genera Cirsium, Carduus, or Onopordum.
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thistle
American
[this-uhl]
/ ˈθɪs əl /
noun
-
thistles
plural
-
any of various prickly, composite plants having showy, purple flower heads, especially of the genera Cirsium, Carduus, or Onopordum.
-
any of various other prickly plants.
Thistle
1
British
/ ˈθɪsəl /
noun
-
(sometimes not capital)
-
the emblem of this Order
-
membership of this Order
-
thistle
2
British
/ ˈθɪsəl /
noun
-
any of numerous plants of the genera Cirsium, Carduus , and related genera, having prickly-edged leaves, pink, purple, yellow, or white dense flower heads, and feathery hairs on the seeds: family Asteraceae (composites)
-
a thistle, or a representation of one, as the national emblem of Scotland
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of thistle
before 900; Middle English thistel, Old English; cognate with Dutch distel, German Distel, Old Norse thistill
Vocabulary lists containing thistle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A cartoon thistle mascot was one of the stars of Glasgow 2014.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But its allure is being winnowed away by the noxious Russian thistle, the spread of which is entirely the fault of the ceaseless and unforgiving prairie wind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Researchers from the University of Cologne have found a new use for Cnicin, a substance produced in blessed thistle.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2024
Like many weeds, the thistle does really well in areas where the soil has been disturbed, says Erica Fleishman, an Oregon State University professor and director of the Oregon Climate Research Institute.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
The headlights disclosed a lane of Chinese elms; bundles of wind-blown thistle scurried across it.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Last year, zoo officials took in a trio of 3-month-old cubs, Fern, Thistle, and Spruce, after their mom was struck and killed by a car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Representatives for Factor and Thistle said they had no record of providing any quotes to A Step to Freedom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
And survive they did, by the barest of margins, as Marcus Fraser's goal earned a 2-1 aggregate victory over Partick Thistle in the Premiership play-off final, a 1-0 home win on Monday sealing the job.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
He helped Partick Thistle and Norwich win promotion to their respective top flights and was also part of the former's famous 4-1 Scottish League Cup final win over Celtic in 1971.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
As soon as Campion and Thistle had joined him, Woundwort took them up to the ridge.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
"The only things that started growing were docks and thistles," said Pawsey, whose entire quinoa crop failed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
John Pickles, a "postcode gardener" with Friends of the Earth, said a patch of grass on the Orchard Park estate had been brought to life with flowers including ox-eye daisies, purple thistles and yellow poppies.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
The florist-by-trade gestures behind her to hundreds of flowers contained in buckets — blue thistles, ivory anemones and calla lilies painted silver — all twisted and unfurling into the air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
Most thistles are weeds that are extremely prickly but have beautiful flowers.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2023
With each desperate grab, hundreds of tiny thistles pierced his fingers.
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
