How to Use thistle in a Sentence

thistle

noun
  • The one real road is banked with thistles five feet high.
    — Antonia Quirke, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 May 2024
  • Thistle, grasses and weedy plants are also a draw for these showy birds.
    — Jennifer J. Meyer, Orange County Register, 24 Jan. 2017
  • The little ones played, wrestling and scratching at a thistle.
    — Nara Schoenberg, chicagotribune.com, 6 Oct. 2020
  • Some weeds, such as thistle and mustard, are hosts for aphids that attack quinoa.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026
  • But the grass seed failed to take, and by fall, the only green left was thistles and crabgrass.
    — Maggie Slepian, Longreads, 14 May 2026
  • The piece was silver and featured a purple amethyst atop the thistle.
    — Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 28 June 2022
  • Some are made to feed sunflower seeds, while others can be used with tiny thistle seeds.
    — The Editors, Field & Stream, 22 Aug. 2019
  • But how can the thistle survive, much less bloom, when its neighbors are reduced to twigs and dust?
    — Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Have plenty of black-oil sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, cracked corn, or thistle on hand.
    — Kier Holmes, Martha Stewart, 18 Jan. 2026
  • Oily seeds like black-oil sunflower seed and thistle can go rancid over time, and birds won't eat it.
    — Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2021
  • Remove back from the stem and thistle in the middle of the artichoke.
    — Redbook, 21 Mar. 2012
  • Most of us do not invite the thistle or broom or leafless milkweed into our gardens.
    — Claire Vaye Watkins, Outside Online, 15 May 2017
  • The artichokes are about to open and the purple of the first thistle is enchanting.
    — Debbie Arrington, sacbee.com, 9 June 2017
  • 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
  • Black oil sunflower seeds and thistle seeds appeal to a wide variety of birds.
    — Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2024
  • Scotch thistle is a biennial, rising from its first year rosette to bloom and set seed its second year.
    — Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, 1 June 2018
  • Odor is a botanical defense mechanism as much as thistles and thorns.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
  • This is because as seedeaters, the birds wait for thistles to produce seed before building nests and feeding their young.
    — John Heasly, USA TODAY, 6 July 2023
  • There, the elephants browsed on whatever plant foods were available, from elm and spruce to thistles and mistletoe.
    — Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2025
  • Bring dimension to the outer edges of the bouquet with thistle; this will serve as your gesture flower.
    — Rebekah Lowin, Country Living, 13 Apr. 2020
  • This thistle can grow huge its second year, up to 12 feet tall and 5 feet in diameter.
    — Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, 1 June 2018
  • Here, magnolia leaves serve as the base, while cedar, and lavender thistle are woven in for depth and texture, and lights add sparkle.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Nov. 2022
  • Later in summer and into early fall, weed pollen from ragweed, sagebrush, and thistle will take over.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026
  • To help the birds survive the cold, Winger said people can offer seeds in bird feeders or thistle feeders.
    — Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024
  • Nyjer thistle seeds are also very small, and many birds will love pecking them off the sides or roof of your edible birdhouse.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2026
  • Just a small amount of elbow grease lifts dandelions, thistles, and other kinds of pesky taproot weeds in seconds.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The vegetable, a relative of the thistle, features leathery, thorny green leaves or petals attached to a round base.
    — Ann Maloney, Washington Post, 2 Aug. 2022
  • From the time of that first Adam to the time of his descendants today, man’s lot has been labor and sweat, thorns and thistles.
    — Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, 28 Aug. 2017
  • To help the birds survive the cold, Winger said, people can provide seeds in bird feeders or thistle feeders.
    — Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 19 Jan. 2024
  • Most of the plants come up to my chest, but here and there a thistle rises high above everything else, its bulbous purple head atop a thin green stalk.
    — Danielle Dutton, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thistle.' 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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