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.
See Examples For:
When the chandelier falls, Production Stage Manager Jovon E. Shuck wants audiences to feel a fresh thrill of terror.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Is the thrill in the chips trade gone?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
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
Kelly added: "I am fuelled by it. It's such a thrill to me, to give the kids these experiences."
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
I assumed that the A meant Antler, and a thrill ran through me.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
It’s hard to know from his palette what thrills him, or if he sees colors at all, given the film’s muddy, deadening grayscape.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Action, suspense, and noir thrills are all great.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
"A candidate who can have a story that makes you want to know what happens next, and who delivers sure-fire twists and turns and thrills, that's what we want."
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 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
Not knowing what to expect both scares and thrills.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
“I’m very delighted and blessed and thrilled to say I’ve got so many grandparents now.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Loan sharks would be "thrilled at the prospect", she told BBC News, with younger people or those who had repayment issues in the past among those more likely to be rejected.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
“USC and Nike have grown together for more than 30 years,” athletic director Jennifer Cohen said in a statement, “and we are thrilled to continue one of the great partnerships in college athletics.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I’m thrilled for Hathaway and Portman, but personally, I’m happy to be done with the sleepless nights of the baby phase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 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
The “Odyssey” may be a thrilling Greek tale of homecoming by sea, but the true story of a Greek homecoming by land—even without witches and monsters—offers other delights to readers of ancient history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
When the convention was first announced, it sounded like it might be a thrilling opportunity to see real wheeling and dealing on a convention floor from which a nominee would eventually emerge.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
But Finch, 59, anchored a band whose calling card was thrilling, glorious bluntness.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Unprecedented summer travel has likely played a role in why the thrilling performance at the end of the Six Nations against France in Paris has not been replicated.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Finally the dogs can stand it no longer and they take off from the trail, chasing one of the hares, and I get a thrilling ride down a long hill.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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.
