thriller
Americannoun
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a person or thing that thrills.
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an exciting, suspenseful play or story, especially a mystery story.
noun
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a book, film, play, etc, depicting crime, mystery, or espionage in an atmosphere of excitement and suspense
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a person or thing that thrills
Discover More
In Great Britain, the word thriller is sometimes used for all mystery novels: “Martha Grimes, an American, writes British-style thrillers.”
Etymology
Origin of thriller
1885–90; 1920–25 thriller for def. 2; thrill + -er 1
Explanation
A thriller is a suspenseful movie, TV show, book, or play. If you love thrillers, you probably enjoy mysterious plots, suspicious characters, and being on the edge of your seat. Thrillers are known for being exciting and sometimes scary, evoking emotions like anticipation, fear, and suspense. They tend to use plot twists and cliffhangers to keep an audience or reader intrigued, and they often feature a villain. The literary label thriller first appeared in the late 1800s, from the verb thrill, "give a shivering, excited feeling."
Vocabulary lists containing thriller
Literary Genres - Introductory
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Literary Genres - Advanced
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Reading: Literature - Literary Genres - Middle School
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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.
He penned the entirety of both seasons of the spy thriller “Lioness,” plus the first season of “Mayor of Kingstown.”
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
Foden came on as a substitute in Monday's six-goal thriller at Everton, which leaves City five points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal with a game in hand.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
The idea of the government watching you is not just the makings of an Orwell novel or a political thriller.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
In a high-quality thriller, played out in front of an enthralled crowd, O'Sullivan won the 20th and 21st frames to regain the lead at 11-10.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
"You'll probably grow up to write those thriller movies where everyone's always screaming."
From "Miracle's Boys" by Jacqueline Woodson
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.
