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

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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

The Montreal Expos would be thrilled with this Super Bowl. — Janie Mccauley, The Seattle Times, "2 baseball scouts have intriguing ties to Super Bowl QBs," 29 Jan. 2019 You will be thrilled with maiz rustido: sautéed corn with hot paprika oil and manchego cheese, which will be my new summer grill side-dish. — Robin Currie, Philly.com, "Bring the tapas bar home with 'Boqueria'," 5 July 2018 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

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