From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthrillthrill1 /θrɪl/ ●●○ noun 1 [countable]EXCITED a sudden strong feeling of excitement and pleasure, or the thing that makes you feel this Winning first place must have been quite a thrill.the thrill of (doing) something (=the excitement you get from something) the thrill of travelling at high speeds Even though I’ve been acting for years, I still get a thrill out of going on stage. It gave Pat a thrill to finally see the group perform live.a thrill of excitement/anticipation/fear etc She felt a thrill of pride as her son stepped forward.do something for the thrill of it (=do something for excitement and not for any serious reason)2 → thrills and spills3 → the thrill of the chase/hunt → cheap thrill at cheap1(6)COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa big/great thrillIt was a great thrill for me to beat Federer.a real thrillPlaying in such an important game must be a real thrill.a cheap thrill disapproving (=excitement that you can get easily or without much effort)Young people go to the big city in search of cheap thrills.a vicarious thrill (=one which you get when you watch or hear about someone else doing something exciting)He clearly enjoyed the vicarious thrill of reading about grisly murders.verbsget a thrillI get such a thrill out of skydiving.feel a thrill written:I felt a thrill of anticipation as I waited for her train to arrive.give somebody a thrillIt gave me a big thrill to meet him.phrasesa thrill of excitement/anticipation/pleasureAs the plane took off, she felt a thrill of excitement.
Examples from the Corpus
thrill• Even though I've been acting for 40 years, I still get a thrill out of going on stage on opening night.• Winning the gold medal was a thrill.• Someday, even adolescent males may tire of the cheap thrills it provides, but that day has yet to come.• Yet the great thrill of the book is Roth's ability to fill his creatures with their own vitality.• But the real thrill for some riders is the chance to perform for the video camera.• Most of the researchers are motivated by the simple thrill of discovery.• Using a gun always gave me a strange thrill.• Don't miss all the thrills and spills of Formula 1 Grand Prix racing on Channel 26!• Converse glanced at the bearded man and the thrill of recognition rang loud and clear.• The thrill of crossing the Knucklas viaduct with its castellated ends, some members for the first time.• Flying is still a tremendous thrill for me.• Five steamboats loaded with thrill seekers arrived from Lake Erie, each with a brass band on deck.do something for the thrill of it• Gina would gamble away thousands of dollars in casinos just for the thrill of it.• Sometimes I walk very close to the edge of the cliffs for the thrill of it.• When was the last time you drove a car just for the thrill of it?thrillthrill2 ●●○ verb [transitive]EXCITED to make someone feel excited and happy → thrilling His music continues to thrill audiences. → thrill to something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
thrill• But when Brown sought the Democratic Party chairmanship after the 1988 election, many moderates were less than thrilled.• He was thrilled about the prospect of seeing Candy, 37, for the first time in three years.• Her first sight of the African landscape thrilled her enormously.• He'd come straight to her after leaving the theatre, and his impatience thrilled her to the core.• It thrills me to know that our organization has helped change lives.• It thrilled Sara to learn that the visitor was a member of the Royal Family.• After three sons, Thomas and Kim Cipriano were thrilled to have a beautiful baby girl.• But he was thrilling to watch.• Maisie Williams was thrilled when she was told to turn up the following week: I thought I wonder what for?Origin thrill2 Old English thyrlian “to make a hole in”, from thyrel “hole”, from thurh; THROUGH1 