by surprise
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The extent of what’s happening has caught many by surprise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 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
With tens of thousands of security personnel deployed in key parts of the capital to block the main protest site of Jantar Mantar, protesters turned to holding flash demonstrations elsewhere, taking authorities by surprise.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Its determination, allowing an orange parade down the Garvaghy Road for the first time in 28 years, caught everybody by surprise, including those in the loyal order.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
"With Rowan bleeding. Rowan, I cannot forgive myself for stepping aside and leaving you to be struck. I was taken by surprise."
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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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.
