From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthornthorn /θɔːn $ θɔːrn/ ●○○ noun 1 [countable]HBP a sharp point that grows on the stem of a plant such as a rose2 [countable, uncountable]HBP a bush or tree that has thorns a long, low hedge of thorns3 → a thorn in somebody’s side
Examples from the Corpus
thorn• Others carried head-bundles of leaves and grass for the sheep and goats now penned behind thorn fences beside the houses.• Half a dozen thorns and two or three elders grew together above and below a bank.• He reached through brambles lined with blood-drawing thorns thick as knives that cut through his shirt sleeves and trousers.• Whether clipped into shape or left natural, barberry is a formidable barrier thanks to its dense foliage and profusion of thorns.• I called across a tall thorn fence towards the shelter.• The thorn trees crowned the edge of a little valley where ran a track as old as the land itself.Origin thorn Old English 