Thermal energy is that energy related to temperature (the higher the temperature, the greater the molecular movement, and the greater the energy). If one object has more thermal energy than an adjacent substance, the substance at the higher temperature will transfer thermal energy (at a molecular level) to the other substance. Note that the energy is moving from one place to another (it is in motion) and is referred to as transient energy or, more commonly in the case of thermal energy, heat.
Aaron