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:
It has been a surprise to us as a team the last couple of races but we are in a good spot.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
His surprise return to one of the most prominent offices in the land on Friday set the stage for a potential standoff between Mexico City and Washington over his fate.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Albon and Palmer should be saluted both for their attempt to train a historian’s lens on an important, previously underexamined subject, and for their engagement with real examples of children’s eternal ability to surprise you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Can its next CEO bring back the element of surprise?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Torak and Wolf looked at her in surprise, and she found herself facing two pairs of wolf eyes: one amber, one light grey.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The past few years have been littered with surprises from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
It’s just as ambitious and loaded with ideas and surprises, but Mitchell isn’t trying to make this story anything more than it needs to be.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Conrad: One of the surprises people find when they relocate to Los Angeles is how hard people work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
He wasn’t the guest Cindy had expected, but surprises are a gift in nursing homes, which can be realms of rigid routine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“I know you don’t like big surprises, so it’s just a little one for now.”
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Simon Hughes, a former MP and another of the seven, said he was "disappointed and surprised" that ANL's recoverable costs had not been limited by the judge.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Some folks may not experience any issues but I was surprised at how difficult it was,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
He and others were surprised to learn that the designs had not taken community comments into consideration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
"He's got an ageing parent with a cancer diagnosis. The deepest human dynamic is attachment and connection and if that's what's motivating this I'm not in the least surprised."
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
I scoff miserably, “You’d be surprised what I’m capable of. I know I am.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Scott Jennings’ appointment as White House press secretary would not be a surprising turn in Donald Trump’s second administration.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Perhaps not surprising, this recognition begins with business elites 3,000 miles away from Washington.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"We don't always know the full significance of the specimens we collect. New technologies, ideas or expertise often find surprising ways to utilize existing specimens to make new discoveries."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
The brains who powered China’s surprising AI leap.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Then he looked back to Zeke and did a surprising thing.
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
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.
