thrill
/θril/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A sudden intense feeling or sensation of excitement, pleasure, or fear: A "thrill" is a wave of strong emotion, often a mix of excitement and slight fear, that is sudden and powerful.
- An experience or event that causes such a feeling: A "thrill" can also refer to the thing itself that creates this intense feeling.
Verb:
- To feel or cause to feel a sudden wave of intense emotion or excitement: As a verb, "thrill" means to experience or to make someone experience a sharp, exciting feeling.
- To vibrate or quiver: In a more literal or poetic sense, it can mean to shake or tremble with a slight, rapid motion.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- The roller coaster ride was a real thrill. (The roller coaster was an experience that caused intense excitement.)
- She felt a thrill of anticipation before her performance. (She experienced a sudden intense feeling of excited expectation.)
Verb:
- The adventure story thrilled the young readers. (The story caused the readers to feel intense excitement.)
- His voice thrilled with emotion as he spoke. (His voice trembled or quivered with strong feeling.)
Advanced Usage
"Thrill to something": To feel a thrill because of something.
- The audience thrilled to the sound of the orchestra. (The audience felt a wave of excitement from the orchestra's sound.)
"Thrill of the chase": The excitement involved in pursuing something desired.
- For some collectors, it's more about the thrill of the chase than the item itself. (The excitement is in the pursuit.)
Variants and Related Words
- Thrilling (adj): Causing excitement and pleasure; exhilarating.
- It was a thrilling finish to the game.
- Thriller (n): A novel, play, or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage.
- She enjoys reading psychological thrillers.
Synonyms
- Noun: Excitement, kick, rush, frisson, charge.
- Verb: Excite, exhilarate, electrify, stir.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Thrill at: To be very excited by something.
- She thrilled at the opportunity to travel abroad. (She was very excited by the opportunity.)
Related Idioms
- "Thrills and spills": The exciting and often dangerous parts of an activity.
- The documentary showed all the thrills and spills of mountain climbing. (It showed the exciting and risky moments.)
Noun
- something that causes you to experience a sudden intense feeling or sensation
- the thrills of space travel
- an almost pleasurable sensation of fright
- a frisson of surprise shot through him
- the swift release of a store of affective force
- they got a great bang out of it
- what a boot!
- he got a quick rush from injecting heroin
- he does it for kicks
Verb
- fill with sublime emotion
- The children were thrilled at the prospect of going to the movies
- He was inebriated by his phenomenal success
- tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
- feel sudden intense sensation or emotion
- he was thrilled by the speed and the roar of the engine
- cause to be thrilled by some perceptual input
- The men were thrilled by a loud whistle blow