: 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
The Warner Bros thriller One Battle After Another continues its awards-season run with a win for Paul Thomas Anderson’s Adapted Screenplay.
—
Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Fresh off their overtime thriller in the Hockey East final, the UConn women’s hockey team woke up Sunday and got their NCAA Tournament assignment.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
Served with a stiff upper lip — and often an even stiffer drink — the comedies, dramas, police procedurals, science fiction, thrillers, and other genre fusions on this list are some of the best series the country and medium have to offer.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
The movie starts like a typical military action thriller until a sci-fi element presents itself in an almost Trojan horse kind of way.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for thriller
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Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
Fresh off their overtime thriller in the Hockey East final, the UConn women’s hockey team woke up Sunday and got their NCAA Tournament assignment.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
Served with a stiff upper lip — and often an even stiffer drink — the comedies, dramas, police procedurals, science fiction, thrillers, and other genre fusions on this list are some of the best series the country and medium have to offer.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
The movie starts like a typical military action thriller until a sci-fi element presents itself in an almost Trojan horse kind of way.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for thriller
Cite this Entry
“Thriller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thriller. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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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