thrill

verb

\ ˈthril

thrilled; thrilling; thrills

Definition of thrill

transitive verb

1a : to cause to experience a sudden sharp feeling of excitement the news thrilled him

b : to cause to have a shivering or tingling sensation

2 : to cause to vibrate or tremble perceptibly

intransitive verb

1 : to become thrilled:

a : to experience a sudden sharp excitement

b : tingle, throb

2 : to move or pass so as to cause a sudden wave of emotion

3 : tremble, vibrate

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Examples of thrill in a Sentence

Circus performers still thrill audiences today. I was thrilled by their decision.

Recent Examples on the Web

Handpicked by casting director Ashley Brokaw to close the show, Barbosa carried that momentum through the remainder of the season to Prada, Dior, Loewe, and Zendaya’s thrilling Tommy Hilfiger collection. — Vogue, "Meet the Top 14 Models of Fall 2019," 13 Mar. 2019 All of which should provide some context for why people were less than thrilled by the film's big win. — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Green Book Won Best Picture and Twitter Is Not Happy," 25 Feb. 2019 And that's why teens Rachel, Jayden, Sylvia and Keegan were thrilled when the Make-A-Wish Foundation made their dreams come true. — Seventeen, "These Teens Attended the 2019 Grammys Like IRL Celebrities and It's Total GOALS," 12 Feb. 2019 There's something so relaxing and thrilling about driving alone, with the windows down and the music up. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Woman's Day, "30 Fun Things to Do By Yourself in Your Lifetime," 3 Jan. 2019 Bolsonaro has been responding ever since with the kinds of aggressive tweets and videos that thrill supporters. — Peter Prengaman, The Seattle Times, "A rise from marginal lawmaker to presidential front-runner," 27 Oct. 2018 The owner of a Dalmatian, who likes to dig in the dirt in the backyard before coming into the white-decor home, was also thrilled with the MudBuster. — Maya Mcdowell, House Beautiful, "The MudBuster Will Stop Your Dog From Tracking Mud Inside The House," 15 Feb. 2019 My parents were thrilled with my new beau, but my mother was a little confused about his job status. — Abby Ellin, Marie Claire, "I Almost Married a Con Man," 8 Jan. 2019 Not everyone is thrilled about Miss Universe’s dress, or its implications. — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "Miss Universe Singapore’s pageant dress is a giant mural of Trump and Kim Jong Un shaking hands," 29 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'thrill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for thrill

thrill

verb

English Language Learners Definition of thrill

: to cause (someone) to feel very excited or happy

: to feel very excited or happy about something

See the full definition for thrill in the English Language Learners Dictionary

thrill

verb

\ ˈthril

thrilled; thrilling

Kids Definition of thrill

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to have or cause to have a sudden feeling of excitement or pleasure

thrill

noun

Kids Definition of thrill (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a sudden strong feeling especially of excitement or happiness the thrill of victory … Harry felt a sudden thrill of foreboding.— J. K. Rowling, Goblet of Fire

2 : something that produces a feeling of excitement The boys went into town in search of thrills.

thrill

noun

\ ˈthril

Medical Definition of thrill

: an abnormal fine tremor or vibration in the respiratory or circulatory systems felt on palpation a continuous systolic and diastolic murmur, frequently associated with a thrill— R. L. Cecil & R. F. Loeb