surprise
to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness: Her beauty surprised me.
to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly: We surprised the children raiding the cookie jar.
to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army, fort, person, etc.).
to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning: to surprise the facts from the witness.
to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended: to surprise a witness into telling the truth.
an act or instance of surprising or being surprised.
something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement: His announcement was a surprise to all.
an assault, as on an army or a fort, made without warning.
a coming upon unexpectedly; detecting in the act; taking unawares.
Idioms about surprise
take by surprise,
to come upon unawares.
to astonish; amaze: The amount of the donation took us completely by surprise.
Origin of surprise
1synonym study For surprise
word story For surprise
The original 15th-century meaning of the English noun was “an unexpected or sudden attack without warning” (a surprise attack, therefore, was a redundancy). In the 19th century, the term surprise party came into use with two disparate senses: the earlier one was “a body of soldiers prepared to make a sudden, stealthy attack,” which held close to the original sense of surprise; the second, slightly later one was “a party or celebration planned for someone as a surprise,” which of course has survived as the meaning familiar to us today.
Other words from surprise
- sur·pris·ed·ly [ser-prahy-zid-lee, -prahyzd-, suh-], /sərˈpraɪ zɪd li, -ˈpraɪzd-, sə-/, adverb
- sur·pris·er, noun
- su·per·sur·prise, noun
- un·sur·prised, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use surprise in a sentence
SURPRISES Downton Abbey You've got to be kidding me with this one.
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & More | Kevin Fallon | December 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBeyoncé and Sam Smith lead the 2015 Grammy nominations, but Meghan Trainor and Miley Cyrus are the biggest surprises.
10 Biggest Grammy Award Snubs and Surprises: Meghan Trainor, Miley Cyrus & More | Kevin Fallon | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLady eventually does engage in a street fight, and loses, which surprises and horrifies Mariame and the gang.
“You need to stretch kids slightly outside their comfort zones, but never have surprises,” she said.
The Most Inspiring Bits of Temple Grandin’s Reddit AMA | Emily Shire | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt always surprises you to hear the Arabic pronunciation of words that have entered American parlance.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq | Nathan Bradley Bethea | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was a process replete with surprises, with revelations, with new understanding of nature itself as seen through the alien eyes.
Valley of the Croen | Lee TarbellSpain is a country of surprises and of contradictions; even her own people seem unable to predict what may happen on the morrow.
Spanish Life in Town and Country | L. Higgin and Eugne E. StreetSuch firmness of will on Florence's part surprises me very much; it accords so little with her habitual indolence.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence | Eugne SueSurprises, pursuits, gallant stands, fearful massacres follow.
A short history of Rhode Island | George Washington GreeneIt was apt to be when he felt as if he had exhausted surprises that he really received his greatest shocks.
The Awkward Age | Henry James
British Dictionary definitions for surprise
/ (səˈpraɪz) /
to cause to feel amazement or wonder
to encounter or discover unexpectedly or suddenly
to capture or assault suddenly and without warning
to present with something unexpected, such as a gift
(foll by into) to provoke (someone) to unintended action by a trick, etc: to surprise a person into an indiscretion
(often foll by from) to elicit by unexpected behaviour or by a trick: to surprise information from a prisoner
the act or an instance of surprising; the act of taking unawares
a sudden or unexpected event, gift, etc
the feeling or condition of being surprised; astonishment
(modifier) causing, characterized by, or relying upon surprise: a surprise move
take by surprise
to come upon suddenly and without warning
to capture unexpectedly or catch unprepared
to astonish; amaze
Origin of surprise
1Derived forms of surprise
- surprisal, noun
- surprised, adjective
- surprisedly (səˈpraɪzɪdlɪ), adverb
- surpriser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with surprise
see take by surprise.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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