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
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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
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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
Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 3
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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:
Few moments in television rival the thrill of an action sequence unfolding before your eyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Powerful teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Liverpool thought they could exclude the riffraff clubs and create an exclusive, lucrative upper league that would thrill their fans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
They don’t need electoral politics to thrill them.
From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026
He continued to thrill the crowds at Trent Bridge until 1974, but it was in his first season at Notts that produced his most famous hour.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
In spite of her fear, Nhamo felt a little thrill of excitement.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
There were the thrills as they scored their first World Cup goals against Uruguay.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Action, suspense, and noir thrills are all great.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Italian luxury carmaker Ferrari has unveiled its first fully electric model, the Luce, belatedly joining rivals like Porsche and Lamborghini to offer clean-energy driving thrills.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
The production, full of sensational aerial maneuvers and fog-strewn scenic thrills, is mesmerizing.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Jumping off a high dive, or riding a roller coaster with multiple loops, or passing a note to Scott Thomas—those were all voluntary thrills.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
That is below the somewhat recent peak of 7.79% in October 2023, but high enough to shock people who were thrilled to lock-in unusually low rates in 2012.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I’m more than thrilled that it’s become a kind of watercooler show,” says Root, who along with co-stars Rhys, Dale Dickey and Kate O’Flynn, received an Emmy nomination for his performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The 67-year-old said he was "thrilled" to be making his first ever headline appearance in Wales on such an "unforgettable evening".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
"We are thrilled that nature delivered such a precious asteroid sample on our doorstep," said curator Denton Ebel.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
“I’m thrilled to be here and am ready to work.”
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
A total of 211 bands from 14 countries, including youth bands, took part in the "truly thrilling and fiercely contested competition".
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Despite the thrilling manner of Super Giants' chase, the principal factor behind this victory was a disciplined bowling and fielding performance after they asked Sunrisers to bat first on a batter-friendly surface at Old Trafford.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The summer started with New York Knicks’s thrilling run to capture the NBA Championship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
But I think the third most-nominated show that was thrilling to see have a big showing was “Widow’s Bay.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The boy recited with a thrilling clarity, and a jarring touch of what my generation would call Cockney, though I have no idea these days what the significance is of a glottal t.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
