thrill

1 of 2

verb

ˈthril 

thrilled; thrilling; thrills

1

transitive : to cause (someone) to experience a strong feeling of enjoyable excitement

The news thrilled him.

a performance that thrilled the crowd

It's just one of the 35 breathtaking stunts the 47-year-old daredevil pilot uses to thrill spectators at airshows across the country.

—Jean Bryant

see also thrilled, thrilling

2

intransitive : to experience a surge of excitement and pleasure

They thrilled to the sound of his voice.

She remembers that her father thrilled to see his daughter's name in print …

—David Ansen

From the beginning, Americans thrilled to the Hubble's potential to do dramatic science, to take us intellectually where no one has gone before.

—Chet Raymo

Kit thrilled at the sight of the familiar red coats.

—Elizabeth George Speare

3

intransitive, chiefly literary

a

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

… a faint cold fear thrills through my veins …

—William Shakespeare

b

: tremble entry 1, vibrate

… the very rocks seem to thrill with life.

—John Muir

thrill

2 of 2

noun

plural thrills

1

a

: a feeling of great excitement or happiness

The thrill isn't gone from our marriage after all this time.

the thrill of discovery/victory

"The most fun thing I've done so far," [Dorothy] Parke reports, "is put my foot through a window. It was only breakaway glass; but it was my first stunt, and it gave me such a thrill."

—Paul Francis

b

: a tingling of or as if of the nerves produced by a sudden emotional reaction

a thrill of horror

a thrill of pride/pleasure/anticipation

Harry felt a thrill of dread: He was about to pay for what had just happened, he was sure of it.

—J. K. Rowling

2

: a very exciting or enjoyable event or experience

What a thrill it was to see the Queen!

a movie with a lot of thrills and chills [=exciting and frightening parts]

the thrills and spills of skateboarding

He had always fancied himself as having a fine voice, and now to hear it from his wife's own lips was a real thrill.

—E. B. White

Synonyms

Verb

• charge
• electrify
• excite
• exhilarate
• galvanize
• intoxicate
• pump up
• titillate
• turn on

Noun

• bang
• boot
• charge
• exhilaration
• frisson
• jollies
• kick
• rush
• titillation
• wallop

Examples of thrill in a Sentence

Verb

Circus performers still thrill audiences today.

I was thrilled by their decision.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The community was thrilled, and Blacksburg Books was met with an outpouring of support. —USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024

Yet Biden, in that phone call late Saturday night, told Netanyahu to take the win; to be thrilled that the unique combination of allies, including even Saudi Arabia, protected Israel. —Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024

Frightening to some, thrilling to others, baffling to many: Artificial intelligence has been called a transformative technology, a threat to democracy, or even an existential risk for humanity. —David Klepper, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024

The Kansas City area was too far out of the path of totality to see a total eclipse but the moon covered 90% of the sun in the metro which was still enough to thrill those who risked their retinas to see the spectacle. —The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2024

The movement ranges from thrilling to heartbreaking and is supported by haunting atmospheric music. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024

In Ohtani’s first Dodgers home game after his record $700-million signing this offseason, the two-time MVP had two hits and a walk, thrilling a crowd of 52,667 that already included an army of his No. 17 jerseys. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Rudd, thrilled by the theme of Wiig’s monologue, couldn’t contain himself. —William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024

While his fans must be thrilled that the pop singer has returned, his comeback isn’t as impressive as some may have hoped. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024

Noun

More importantly, the Ioniq 5 N ably recycles the hands-on thrills that have gone missing in many EVs. —IEEE Spectrum, 17 Apr. 2024

Pixar populates this ocean with entertaining characters and unforgettable dangers, but the thrills won’t scare young viewers about taking a dip, even with the presence of a ravenous shark. —Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024

Racing Simulators: Feel the thrill behind the wheel of a racing simulator in this track-style experience which brings the race weekend experience to life, a dream opportunity for all racing fans. —Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024

The best theme park attractions blend story with thrills to create unique entertainment. —Robert Niles, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024

Family coasters tend to have lower height requirements than traditional roller coasters, so they can be enjoyed across broader age ranges without sacrificing thrills. —Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024

The land's main attractions come in the form of three new family-friendly rides with varying levels of thrills: Hiccup’s Wing Gliders, Dragon Racer's Rally and Fyre Drill. —Mackenzie Schmidt, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024

His moods were swift and ever changing and the thrill of his escape fell away now on a quick grade to emptiness. —Kevin Barry, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of excavating your sandals from the depths of your closet at the first signs of spring — well, except for buying a new pair, that is. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English thirlen, thrillen to pierce, from Old English thyrlian, from thyrel hole, from thurh through — more at through entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Noun

circa 1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing thrill

• cheap thrill
• thrill of someone's life
• thrill ride

Kids Definition

thrill

1 of 2 verb

ˈthril

1

: to experience or cause to experience a sudden strong feeling of excitement

the news thrilled him

2

: vibrate sense 2, tremble

a voice thrilling with emotion

thrill

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a sudden strong emotion often accompanied by a tingling sensation

gets a thrill of excitement from riding the roller coaster

felt a thrill of fear

b

: something that thrills

seeing my picture in the newspaper was a thrill

2

: vibration sense 1b

Etymology

Verb

Middle English thirlen, thrillen "to pierce," from Old English thyrlian (same meaning) from thyrel "a hole," from thurh "through" — related to nostril, thorough, through

Word Origin

Today when we speak of being thrilled, we are referring to a very pleasing experience. But it was not always so. The Old English word thyrlian, which gave us thrill, meant "to pierce" as with an arrow or spear. The Old English word came from an earlier word thyrel, meaning "hole." Thyrel has also given us two other Modern English words, through and thorough. It has also given us the last half of the word nostril, which literally means "nose hole." During the Middle English period the verb thyrlian became thirlen and continued to mean "to pierce." It also was the basis of the new verb thrillen, meaning "to penetrate." Then a connection was made between the physical sensation of being pierced and the emotional feeling of being suddenly and sharply excited. A new sense was born, which became the chief meaning of our thrill.

Medical Definition

thrill

noun

ˈthril 

: 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