surprise
Americanverb (used with object)
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surprises,
present (3rd person singular)
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surprised,
past participle, past
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surprising
present participle
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to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness.
Her beauty surprised me.
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to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly.
We surprised the children raiding the cookie jar.
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to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army, fort, person, etc.).
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to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning.
to surprise the facts from the witness.
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to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended.
to surprise a witness into telling the truth.
noun
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surprises
plural
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an act or instance of surprising or being surprised.
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something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement.
His announcement was a surprise to all.
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an assault, as on an army or a fort, made without warning.
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a coming upon unexpectedly; detecting in the act; taking unawares.
idioms
verb
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to cause to feel amazement or wonder
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to encounter or discover unexpectedly or suddenly
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to capture or assault suddenly and without warning
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to present with something unexpected, such as a gift
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(foll by into) to provoke (someone) to unintended action by a trick, etc
to surprise a person into an indiscretion
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(often foll by from) to elicit by unexpected behaviour or by a trick
to surprise information from a prisoner
noun
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the act or an instance of surprising; the act of taking unawares
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a sudden or unexpected event, gift, etc
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the feeling or condition of being surprised; astonishment
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(modifier) causing, characterized by, or relying upon surprise
a surprise move
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to come upon suddenly and without warning
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to capture unexpectedly or catch unprepared
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to astonish; amaze
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Usage
Spelling tips for surprise The word surprise is hard to spell for two reasons. First, many people forget to include the first r because it is not emphasized. Second, surprise sounds like it might end in -ize, but it actually ends in -ise. How to spell surprise: Surprise! There’s an r in the first syllable (even if it often doesn’t sound like there is). You can remember this by picturing the p being surprised that it’s surrounded by an r on both sides. Next, remember that surprise ends in rise, not prize.
Synonym Usage
Surprise, astonish, amaze, astound mean to strike with wonder because of unexpectedness, strangeness, unusualness, etc. To surprise is to take unawares or to affect with wonder: surprised at receiving a telegram. To astonish is to strike with wonder by something unlooked for, startling, or seemingly inexplicable: astonished at someone's behavior. To amaze is to astonish so greatly as to disconcert or bewilder: amazed at such an evidence of stupidity. To astound is to so overwhelm with surprise that one is unable to think or act: astounded by the news.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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supersurprisenoun
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surprisalnoun
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surprisernoun
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surprisedadjective
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unsurprisedadjective
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surprisedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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surprisesimple
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surprisessimple
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have surprisedperfect
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has surprisedperfect
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am surprisingprogressive
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are surprisingprogressive
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is surprisingprogressive
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have been surprisingperfect progressive
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has been surprisingperfect progressive
Past
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surprisedsimple
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had surprisedperfect
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was surprisingprogressive
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were surprisingprogressive
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had been surprisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of surprise
First recorded in 1425–75; (noun) late Middle English, from Anglo-French surpris(e), Middle French, past participle of surprendre, equivalent to sur- sur- 1 + pris (masculine), prise (feminine), from Latin prēnsus, -sa, equivalent to prēndere, contracted variant of prehendere “to take” ( see prehension) + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (verb) late Middle English surprisen, from Anglo-French surpris(e) (past participle), Middle French, as above
Explanation
A surprise can be an unexpected or astonishing event, such as an ambush or a really great grade on a test you didn't study for. Surprise can be a verb meaning to astonish or startle someone, a noun for the unexpected thing, or for the feeling produced by that surprise. It comes from the Latin word for "seize," and originally meant an unexpected military attack. When the novelist Charles Lever wrote in 1841 of "three cavalry regiments, their noiseless gestures and perfect stillness bespeaking at once that they were intended for a surprise party," he meant a surprise attack, not a birthday party.
Vocabulary lists containing surprise
Emotions on Display
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
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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:
The biggest surprise about Shane Gillis’ controversial “Saturday Night Live” monologue last week, if you’re someone who watches the show consistently, is how unsurprising it was.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Here are some things from the past week and a half that will surprise history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
So he may have been caught by surprise when the news of the plan was met in the evangelical world with ambivalence, wariness, and, occasionally, alarm.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
A sharp selloff in shares of companies closely tied to the AI trade is driving investors toward safety, sparking a rotation into defensive stocks and fueling a surprise rally in hard-hit Treasury notes and bonds.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Elliot sighed, and to my surprise he turned to me, a grim look of determination on his face.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Also, “there were probably few surprises from the MAS” decision to leave monetary policy unchanged, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
And what a delight it is that this world still holds some surprises for us.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
“At these levels, we think the risks of upside surprises far outweigh those on the downside,” Jonas said of the stock.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Last week, US pop star Olivia Rodrigo kicked off her Unraveled tour, and surprises from the show, which scores of fans have paid a lot of money to see, have already been dissected online.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
She has her purple heels on and her Afro is in a sideswept updo, but there’s one thing she doesn’t have that surprises me.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Mr. Evans chimes in that he’s not surprised at this.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Debbie Almontaser, a longtime Muslim community organizer who helped elect Mamdani, wasn’t surprised by the confrontation.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
In truth, banks were pleasantly surprised they were not hit at the last Budget, given the large profits they have been making in recent years.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
"I would be very surprised if we got less than 40 percent," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
“I must say,” she said, “I was surprised to get your invitation yesterday.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
This "indicates conditions for corals are worsening significantly... not at all surprising given the accelerated warming and lack of abatement of global drivers of coral decline", said Obura.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
And without consistent benchmarks, it's not surprising that so much weight has been placed on Pisa's verdict.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The research also uncovered a surprising way hydrogen can participate in these reactions, challenging established assumptions about how the process works.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
It’s surprising the number of otherwise politically aware folks who had no idea the debate was taking place tonight until I mentioned it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
I’d be tending my herb garden, clipping sprigs of fragrant leaves or replanting tender roots, then all of a sudden, a single tear would fall down my face without my awareness, surprising me.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
