startle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
startles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
startled,
past participle, past
-
startling
present participle
verb (used without object)
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startles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
startled,
past participle, past
-
startling
present participle
noun
-
a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.
-
something that startles.
verb
Synonym Usage
See shock 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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startlesimple
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startlessimple
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have startledperfect
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has startledperfect
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am startlingprogressive
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are startlingprogressive
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is startlingprogressive
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have been startlingperfect progressive
-
has been startlingperfect progressive
Past
-
startledsimple
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had startledperfect
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was startlingprogressive
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were startlingprogressive
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had been startlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of startle
First recorded before 1100; Middle English stertlen “to rush, caper,” equivalent to stert(en) “to begin, start” ( see start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian “to kick, struggle”
Explanation
To startle is to jump, like when you're surprised. If you’re sneaking through a dark room and step on a sleeping dog’s tail — you might startle the dog. If she barks, that dog startles you right back! A startle is a quick, sharp movement, like a little jump that happens when you’re surprised or suddenly scared. If you sneak up on your mom and say "Boo!" you’ll startle her and she might jump up in her seat (before she yells at you to quit it). Alarm clocks and barking dogs often startle people. The original meaning of startle, around 1300, was "to run back and forth," from the Old English word styrtan, "to leap up."
Vocabulary lists containing startle
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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The Circuit
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He understands how to keep viewers vigilant, how to shock them and startle them as soon as they think they know where he’s headed.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
Researchers think these markings may help startle predators.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Sudden explosive noise, concussive blasts, and bright flashes have the potential to startle young birds, creating unnecessary risk during a critical period of development.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
It triggers an automatic "startle response" to any loud noise.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
I spoke softly so as not to startle her.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
More than 60 years on, the scene still startles.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
I am not sure what startles more—that the feat was achieved at all or that it was Mr. Koolhaas’s firm that pulled it off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
“They’re a bit of a nuisance, especially if one takes off from a bush next to people and startles them,” Knight said.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
Whether seeing the fear in combatants and civilians alike or observing how societal ills followed young servicemembers to the front, Lagoze startles in his prose just as he did in his 2019 documentary, “Combat Obscura.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2023
Before I realize what I’m doing, I put my hand on his arm, a tiny spontaneous gesture of thanks that startles both of us.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
The difference also appeared across all 37 bird species examined, including easily startled magpies and pigeons that typically allow people to approach much more closely.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
He looked startled for a moment and then with an uncharacteristic grin replied that he considered that a welcome compliment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Black said he was startled, although not totally surprised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
"The two US deportees looked startled and kept asking which country is this and where it is," said a source.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
He went by Ivan in the same manner, and the fool startled.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
The red, as startling as a cymbal clap, strikes the eye, but the impending drama remains out of sight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
A Russian drone zips across the computer screen, startling the commanders keeping watch over the battlefield via a live stream in their bunker.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The private life of disgraced Silicon Valley startup founder Elizabeth Holmes will soon be aired to the public in a startling new documentary filmed in the 34 days before she went to prison.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Most startling of all: He has presented this property gambit, where ownership remains solely with him and his wife, as an act of goodwill.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
William “had made a reputation so startling that I regarded the task of catching up to him as being altogether hopeless.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
