thrill
Americanverb (used with object)
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thrills,
present (3rd person singular)
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thrilled,
past participle, past
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thrilling
present participle
-
to affect with a sudden wave of keen emotion or excitement, as to produce a tremor or tingling sensation through the body.
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to utter or send forth tremulously, as a melody.
verb (used without object)
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thrills,
present (3rd person singular)
-
thrilled,
past participle, past
-
thrilling
present participle
-
to affect one with a wave of emotion or excitement.
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to be stirred by a tremor or tingling sensation of emotion or excitement.
He thrilled at the thought of home.
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to cause a prickling or tingling sensation.
Brisk cold thrills the skin.
noun
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thrills
plural
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a sudden wave of keen emotion or excitement, sometimes manifested as a tremor or tingling sensation passing through the body.
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something that produces or is capable of producing such a sensation.
a story full of thrills.
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a thrilling experience.
It was a thrill to see Paris again.
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a vibration or quivering.
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Pathology. an abnormal tremor or vibration, as in the respiratory or vascular system.
noun
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a sudden sensation of excitement and pleasure
seeing his book for sale gave him a thrill
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a situation producing such a sensation
it was a thrill to see Rome for the first time
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a trembling sensation caused by fear or emotional shock
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pathol an abnormal slight tremor associated with a heart or vascular murmur, felt on palpation
verb
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to feel or cause to feel a thrill
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to tremble or cause to tremble; vibrate or quiver
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thrillsimple
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thrillssimple
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have thrilledperfect
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has thrilledperfect
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am thrillingprogressive
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are thrillingprogressive
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is thrillingprogressive
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have been thrillingperfect progressive
-
has been thrillingperfect progressive
Past
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thrilledsimple
-
had thrilledperfect
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was thrillingprogressive
-
were thrillingprogressive
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had been thrillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thrill
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English thrillen originally, “to penetrate,” metathetic variant of thirlen “to pierce; thrill” ( see thirl)
Explanation
Thrill doesn’t refer to any old type of excitement; this stuff is intense. For many people, the experience of riding a roller coaster provides a great thrill, or an intense feeling of excitement. Thrill comes from an Old English word meaning “pierce,” suggesting the metaphor of being “pierced by emotion.” Thrill is often used in a strictly positive sense, though it can also refer to the unique combination of terror and pleasure that some people experience in certain situations — for example, when riding death-defying roller coasters or watching frightening flicks (often called thrillers).
Vocabulary lists containing thrill
Vocabulary Review, Unit 1
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Unit 10, Week 2
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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:
Sometimes, Dhar says, anticipation can be more pleasurable than ownership: "The thrill is in the chase."
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
It provides a sense of community and the thrill of holding forbidden knowledge.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Coming in 2027 to the Valencia park will be Thrill Glider, a first of its kind thrill ride designed by coaster manufacturer Vekoma exclusively for Magic Mountain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The surprise revamp of the series’ third season opening credits in 1986, for example, was quite a thrill.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2018
Moreover, despite how backbreaking it could be, there was a certain thrill in seeing seeds we’d planted a few days before poke tiny leaves out of the soil and shoot unstoppably upward.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Dorfman says Americans’ enduring appetite for novelty has gotten stronger recently as people seek out the low-tech thrills of earlier eras.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Dorfman says Americans’ enduring appetite for novelty has got stronger recently as people seek out the low-tech thrills of earlier eras.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
What Gen and Casey want is to enjoy these things for the personal thrills they offer.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
Rock N Roll Circus, as its name suggests, mixes the traditional elements of a music festival with the thrills of high-wire and fire displays.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
The icy mud sent little thrills of pain up their legs, so they ran, splashing through the puddles and slushing in the mud.
From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
Holyrood Academy said it was "thrilled" with Kennard's nomination.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
"Today we're thrilled to announce that Mesabi Metallics will be building the largest steel plant in American history in the great state of Iowa," Trump said in the Oval Office.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
“I’m thrilled they can now substitute research collaboration sessions for legal strategy meetings,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
All the effort was worth it—her daughter, a baker in her 30s, was thrilled with her souvenir, still slightly frozen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
“The Daily is so thrilled to finally have something to write about that they’re losing their minds.”
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Variations from one medium to the other is a part of the process, and Martínez Celaya said he finds both thrilling and challenging.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Spanish “REC”—purportedly forged out of the salvaged recordings of a news crew lost in a plague-zombie apartment building—was genuinely thrilling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Demi Vollering continued her remarkable season with a thrilling victory to win the women's road race world title in Montreal.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Limbs bend in concerning directions as torsos threaten to fall to the ground; a blanket covers portions of each performer and adds another mysterious layer to these thrilling pas de deux.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Most beautiful of all are the emotions: She feels the tides of fear, bloodlust, despair, and blind fury like a swimmer in a stormy sea, overwhelming yet thrilling.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
