thrill
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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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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
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has been thrillingperfect progressive
Past
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thrilledsimple
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had thrilledperfect
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was thrillingprogressive
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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.
It’s to experience the visceral thrill and nerve-shredding tension that occurs when two genuine powers square off, with the promise of history-making triumph, individual glory and intense national humiliation all hanging in the balance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026
Canadian viewers will now have "the added thrill of seeing their own country represented on the Eurovision stage", said Bouchard.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
Working with Riddle on those albums must have been a thrill.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
"It was a huge thrill but also nerve-wracking, because it's quite a responsibility," says Henson.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Leaving for a secret visit and returning undetected might have been a thrill and a pleasure.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
