Small nucleolar RNA host gene 15 (SNHG15) has been suggested to be overexpressed, and function as an oncogenic long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in various types of human malignancies. However, the expression status and function of SNHG15 were still unknown in thyroid cancer. In our study, we assessed the expression status and clinical value in thyroid cancer samples, and explored the effect of SNHG15 on thyroid cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In results, SNHG15 expression was downregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cells, and correlated with age, pathology classification, clinical stage, tumor size, distant metastasis, and disease‐free survival. The in vitro studies suggested SNHG15 overexpression suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in thyroid cancer. In summary, SNHG15 serves as tumor suppressive role in thyroid cancer.