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thrill

verb
\ ˈthril How to pronounce thrill (audio) \
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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Other Words from thrill

Verb

thrillingly \ ˈthri-​liŋ-​lē How to pronounce thrillingly (audio) \ adverb

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 Luminary Bakery in East London is thrilled that Meghan Markle is supporting their social enterprise, helping disadvantaged women bake their way to the top This just might be Meghan Markle’s favorite bakery! — Moniquejessen, PEOPLE.com, "Meghan Markle Shares Her 'Sweetest' Instagram Yet of the Bakery That Made Her Epic Birthday Cake," 22 Aug. 2019 Buzz: Alina Carrillo had 5 kills and 14 digs in Hagerty’s thrilling 32-30, 25-18, 25-23 win for a bit of revenge after Plant eliminated the Huskies in the regional final last year. — Steve Gorches, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando area high school scores, top performers for Aug. 22," 22 Aug. 2019 Judging by my emails, there aren’t a lot of Lakers fans thrilled about the rumor the team can talk to Dwight Howard about reuniting. — Los Angeles Times, "The Sports Report: Recapping Sunday’s activity," 19 Aug. 2019 Instead of thrilling to descriptions of panic and descents into sadism, the public today must content itself with stories of ice-bucket plunges and collaborative videogames. — Noam Cohen, WIRED, "Beware the Epiphany-Industrial Complex," 19 Aug. 2019 We are honored and thrilled to join forces with this legendary developer. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "Sony acquires Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac Games," 19 Aug. 2019 Goals from Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino settled the game, and Jurgen Klopp will be thrilled with his players' reaction to their 120-minute test in Istanbul on Wednesday evening. — SI.com, "Southampton 1-2 Liverpool: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Risky Reds Edge Past Saints," 17 Aug. 2019 Last year’s thrilling seven-game series pitted the two budding rivals against each other for a shot at the conference finals. — Mike Singer, The Denver Post, "Nuggets schedule released: Counting down Denver’s must-see home games in 2019-20," 12 Aug. 2019 And what’s thrilling about it for [my costars] Charlie Cox and Zawe Ashton and myself is none of us leave the stage. — Jessica Derschowitz, EW.com, "Tom Hiddleston on coming to Broadway with an act of Betrayal," 1 Aug. 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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First Known Use of thrill

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

circa 1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for thrill

Verb

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

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More Definitions for thrill

thrill

verb
How to pronounce thrill (audio)

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 How to pronounce thrill (audio) \
thrilled; thrilling

Kids Definition of thrill

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: to have or cause to have a sudden feeling of excitement or pleasure

Other Words from thrill

thriller noun

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