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.
Soren Waerenskjold caught the big guns by surprise with a long-range sprint to win the fastest-ever stage of the Tour de France.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Apple’s price hikes caught much of the industry by surprise given their size and scope.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
But the one she’s experiencing now caught her by surprise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Hearing about the practice took me by surprise — the farm did what with that milk? — so I asked about it again.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The question had caught him by surprise, too.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
