surprise
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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.
Related Words
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
- supersurprise noun
- surprisal noun
- surprised adjective
- surprisedly adverb
- surpriser noun
- unsurprised adjective
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” ( prehension ) + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (verb) late Middle English surprisen, from Anglo-French surpris(e) (past participle), Middle French, as above
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.
Chelsea were down to 10 men for an hour on Sunday so I was a little bit surprised Arsenal did not go for it more.
From BBC
Do you have any hobbies you think would surprise people?
It is supposed to be the busiest time of year for the Roadies trucking company, but dozens of its trucks sit idle — unlikely casualties of a surprise scrutiny of laborers from India.
From Los Angeles Times
And though nods in the big three mainstream categories didn’t materialize, that wasn’t a total surprise for an LP so meticulous about playing with classic Latin genres.
From Los Angeles Times
Investors seem increasingly sure of the central bank’s next move, but that also leaves limited room for an upside surprise that could give stocks another boost.
From Barron's
Definitions 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.
