thriller

noun

thrill·​er ˈthri-lər 

: 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

Synonyms of thriller

• suspenser

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

Adam Schindler and Brian Netto, the filmmaking duo behind the 2024 Netflix thriller Don’t Move, starring Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock, will direct and do their own pass on the script by Pagan and Deutschman. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

He can next be seen in the post-apocalyptic werewolf thriller Dead Howling. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

The Braves won a thriller Tuesday afternoon at Truist Park with third baseman Austin Riley’s late three-run homer lifting them to a 5-3 victory over the Phillies in Game 1 of the Wild Card series. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Right off the bat, Neon knew the film would be positioned in South Korea as a big action thriller and massive event film for director Na, and wanted to match that. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing thriller

• techno-thriller

Rhymes for thriller

• biller
• chiller
• driller
• filler
• hilar
• hiller
• killer
• pillar
• quiller
• siller
• spiller
• stiller

Kids 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