startle
to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.
to cause to start involuntarily, by or as by a sudden shock.
to start involuntarily, as from a shock of surprise or alarm.
a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.
something that startles.
Origin of startle
1synonym study For startle
Other words for startle
Other words from startle
- star·tle·ment, noun
- star·tler, noun
- out·star·tle, verb (used with object), out·star·tled, out·star·tling.
Words Nearby startle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use startle in a sentence
Previously, scientists have reported that hexadecanal reduces stress in mice, while other research has shown that humans release the compound in our feces, skin, and breath, and that it might affect our startle response.
Sniffing this odorless molecule could make you more aggressive—or more docile | Kate Baggaley | November 24, 2021 | Popular-ScienceNot only is this comfortable for your little one, but it suppresses their startle reflexes which encourages them to sleep longer and keeps them warm without the use of loose blankets, which can be dangerous.
Swaddles to keep your little one cozy and comfortable | PopSci Commerce Team | January 11, 2021 | Popular-ScienceThey startle viewers, rouse viewers, occasionally put off and occasionally turn on viewers.
The group acknowledged that the tactic “was meant to startle people.”
The French women certainly talk with a freedom which would startle an English or American female.
The striking originality of this idea will startle any one who has never heard of such a thing before.
The Autobiography of a Play | Bronson Howard"You oughtn't to slip up an' s-startle a lady that-a-way," she said with grave rebuke, and Hale looked humbled.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine | John Fox, Jr.While the Constitution lasts, they are repressed; they spring up to annoy and startle us only from its grave.
Select Speeches of Daniel Webster | Daniel WebsterBut Merriwell feared to startle the old man, and therefore he did not call.
Frank Merriwell's Pursuit | Burt L. Standish
British Dictionary definitions for startle
/ (ˈstɑːtəl) /
to be or cause to be surprised or frightened, esp so as to start involuntarily
Origin of startle
1Derived forms of startle
- startler, 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
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