: 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
Sisto followed his Clueless success with parts in the crime thriller Suicide Kings (1997) and the indie drama Thirteen (2003).
—
Danny Horn, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Sources say the project is tonally similar to The Town, the crime thriller directed by Ben Affleck.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Many contemporary thrillers are far more overtly gruesome than this one, partly because violence is one way unimaginative directors can put a distinctive spin on otherwise interchangeable material: Cue the artful fountains of arterial spray.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In Adrian Lyne’s hot and steamy thriller, a one-night stand between a married man (Douglas) and an unbalanced book editor (Glenn Close) turns into a lethal obsession that even claims the life of a bunny!
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
The upcoming crime thriller is an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 Japanese film by the same name.
—Rivea Ruff, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
Currently in production, High and Low reinterprets Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller of the same name from 1963.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
Jack Champion, Sophia Lillis, Kate del Castillo, Tony Dalton, Whitney Peak and Bobby Cannavale have joined Dave Bautista in the action thriller Trap House.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024
Anna Beth was pregnant with Molly while John was filming the 1991 comedy/thriller Barton Fink.
—Makena Gera, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Danny Horn, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Sources say the project is tonally similar to The Town, the crime thriller directed by Ben Affleck.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Many contemporary thrillers are far more overtly gruesome than this one, partly because violence is one way unimaginative directors can put a distinctive spin on otherwise interchangeable material: Cue the artful fountains of arterial spray.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In Adrian Lyne’s hot and steamy thriller, a one-night stand between a married man (Douglas) and an unbalanced book editor (Glenn Close) turns into a lethal obsession that even claims the life of a bunny!
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
The upcoming crime thriller is an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 Japanese film by the same name.
—Rivea Ruff, Essence, 10 Apr. 2024
Currently in production, High and Low reinterprets Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller of the same name from 1963.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
Jack Champion, Sophia Lillis, Kate del Castillo, Tony Dalton, Whitney Peak and Bobby Cannavale have joined Dave Bautista in the action thriller Trap House.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024
Anna Beth was pregnant with Molly while John was filming the 1991 comedy/thriller Barton Fink.
—Makena Gera, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thriller.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near thriller
Cite this Entry
“Thriller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thriller. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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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