: one that thrills
especially
: a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense
Examples of thriller in a Sentence
His latest novel is a political thriller.
those television awards are hardly thrillers since the same people win year after year
Recent Examples on the Web
Roher also directed the thriller feature Tuner, which premiered at this year’s Telluride Film Festival and stars Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu.
—
Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025
Viewers who have grown exhausted by TV’s endless supply of interchangeable, mediocre domestic thrillers might be tempted to skip Little Disasters.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
The third and final season of the Korean survival thriller series premiered in June.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Dec. 2025
From Shinichiro Watanabe, best known as the creator of Cowboy Bebop, comes Lazarus, a globe-trotting thriller involving a race against the clock to save humanity from extinction.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thriller
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Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Dec. 2025
Viewers who have grown exhausted by TV’s endless supply of interchangeable, mediocre domestic thrillers might be tempted to skip Little Disasters.
—Judy Berman, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
The third and final season of the Korean survival thriller series premiered in June.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Dec. 2025
From Shinichiro Watanabe, best known as the creator of Cowboy Bebop, comes Lazarus, a globe-trotting thriller involving a race against the clock to save humanity from extinction.
—Kambole Campbell, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thriller
Cite this Entry
“Thriller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thriller. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
thriller
noun
thril·ler
ˈthril-ər 
: one that thrills
especially
: a work of fiction or drama with a great deal of action, mystery, adventure, or suspense
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