thriller

Everyday

1. A thriller is an exciting book, film or TV show full of suspense and danger, often about crime, spies or chases, that keeps you wanting to know what happens next. tree →
2. (informal) A thriller is any very exciting event, like a match that is close until the end. tree →

In the lessons

In reading lessons it is a genre, with features like cliffhangers, a ticking clock, twists and a hero in danger. In sport talk, «a thriller» is a close, exciting game. Phrases: «a spy thriller», «a crime thriller», «a real thriller», «edge of your seat».

Examples

• The spy thriller kept me reading late into the night. tree →
• The match was a thriller that ended 4–3. tree →
• A good thriller ends chapters with a cliffhanger. tree →
• Mum likes crime thrillers on TV. tree →
• That film is a thriller, so it may be too scary for little kids. tree →
• Our class wrote a short thriller about a stolen painting. tree →
• «Thriller» is also the name of a famous Michael Jackson song. tree →

Note

Countable: a thriller, thrillers. From «thrill» (a strong feeling of excitement). A thriller is not exactly a horror story; it is about suspense more than fright, though they can overlap.