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
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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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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
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:
Whether I’m opting for a test myself or my physician orders it, I always get a little thrill when technology offers a new view of what is happening inside my body.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
It provides a sense of community and the thrill of holding forbidden knowledge.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
"It's a bit like a treasure hunt. You never really know what you're going to find next, and that's the thrill of the chase," he added.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Though adolescents might not be easy to thrill, they long for great IRL adventures like the rest of us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
What we do know is that aside from the thrill of discovery that the recovery of each artifact brought with it, the raising of the Mary Rose was an extraordinary adventure.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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
These are low-frills thrills, and all the more insidiously effective for it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Where “Jurassic World” balked at doubling down on its single cruel sequence, “The End of Oak Street” has at least 10 stomach-dropping thrills.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
"Solar eclipse thrills Europe" says the Financial Times.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 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
Winkleman told the press launch she thought Grant blurted out his identity in error, because he was so thrilled to be a traitor.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
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
Rick Rieder is thrilled about the risk-reward proposition that bonds offer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Incorrigible children were thrilled when they found out, for learn to knit was on the to-doawoo list, and now that Master Gogolev was gone, they had all the free time in the world.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
Ride a thrilling, creature-heavy makeover of Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! in Disney California Adventure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
However, their record 39-game run of victories was finally halted by Canada, last year's World Cup finalists, in a thrilling 26-26 draw at Sandy Park last week.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 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
They set his fur on end—that prickly, alert, thrilling sensation, a good feeling—and made his tongue drip.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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.
