thrill

verb

\ ˈthril

thrilled; thrilling; thrills

Definition of thrill

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

thrill

noun

plural thrills

Definition of thrill (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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

Other Words from thrill Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about thrill

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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

Not sure that’s solvable in a halftime talk, but if Japan and Belgium can thrill us in a second half, there’s always hope that Sweden and Switzerland can, too. — The Associated Press, New York Times, "Sweden Makes World Cup Quarterfinals for First Time Since 1994," 5 July 2018 The production is presented in the round, and the power of the vocals in such an intimate space, seating just 200, is thrilling. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Carmen Jones': Theater Review," 28 June 2018 There isn’t anything particularly thrilling for consumers here, since the chips just offer a mix of features already available elsewhere. — Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge, "Qualcomm launches three new Snapdragon processors for mid-range phones," 27 June 2018 Brushing on eye shadow beyond the confines of my lids is my new favorite thing to do with makeup, so creating a drip of metallic silver that went from my hairline down to my undereye area was about as thrilling for me as riding a rollercoaster. — Devon Abelman, Allure, "I Copied My Favorite K-Pop Star's Makeup for a Week — and It Was Exhausting," 29 May 2018 The excitement has been thrilling for the owners, who want to honor the legacy of the restaurant — widely recognized for inventing the cheeseburger. — Bailey Loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "80/20 at Kaelin's wants to honor restaurant's history - not imitate it," 24 May 2018 Imagine the 76ers and Flyers thrilling their fans in an arena named for one of our amazing athletes — like Hal Greer, an icon who just passed last week — or great citizens of yesterday, like Leon Sullivan or Smedley Butler or Marian Anderson. — Will Bunch, Philly.com, "Wells Fargo has been ripping off customers. Why do 76ers, Flyers play in a shrine named for the banking company? | Will Bunch," 22 Apr. 2018 Two excellent reasons to hear this program: the SSO’s music director designate Thomas Dausgaard will conduct, and the concerto soloist is Garrick Ohlsson, one of today’s most reliably thrilling pianists. — The Seattle Times, "Look Ahead: The hottest Seattle events for April 2019," 5 Apr. 2019 Which means 2019 will be a good year for me, movie-wise, because already there are some genuinely, um, thrilling thrillers hitting theaters and streaming sites and the rest of the year looks even more promising. — Cady Drell, Marie Claire, "The Best New Thriller Movies of 2019—So Far," 12 Mar. 2019

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

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

: to feel very excited or happy about something

thrill

noun

English Language Learners Definition of thrill (Entry 2 of 2)

: a feeling of great excitement or happiness

: a very exciting or enjoyable event or experience

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