Numerous studies have provided that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) possess important roles in regulating tumorigenesis. However, up to data, the role of LINC00514 in cancer, including thyroid cancer, remains unknown. In the present study, we found that LINC00514 expression was significantly upregulated in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) tissues by bioinformatics analysis. Loss-of-function studies revealed that LINC00514 silencing inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of PTC cells while promoting apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, LINC00514 knockdown suppressed PTC growth in vivo. RNA-FISH showed that LINC00514 mainly locates in the nucleus of PTC cells. Through bioinformatics prediction, we identified that LINC00514 served as the sponge for miR-204-3p, and miR-204-3p directly targeted CDC23. Thus, LINC00514 promoted CDC23 expression via restraining miR-204-3p activity, leading to PTC progression. In sum, our findings demonstrated that LINC00514 contributes to PTC progression and might be a potential target for PTC therapy. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.