startle

American  

[stahr-tl] / ˈstɑr tl /

verb (used with object)

startled, startling

1. to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.

   Synonyms:

   astonish, frighten, scare

2. to cause to start involuntarily, by or as by a sudden shock.

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verb (used without object)

startled, startling

1. to start involuntarily, as from a shock of surprise or alarm.

noun

1. a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.

2. something that startles.

startle British  

/ ˈstɑːtəl /

verb

1. to be or cause to be surprised or frightened, esp so as to start involuntarily

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Related Words

See shock ¹.

Other Word Forms

• outstartle verb (used with object)
• startlement noun
• startler noun

Etymology

Origin of startle

First recorded before 1100; Middle English stertlen “to rush, caper,” equivalent to stert(en) “to begin, start” ( start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian “to kick, struggle”

Example Sentences

She startles and spins around, just as jumpy as last night.

From Literature

Not I’m sure this is a little startling.

From Literature

They say one way to grab someone’s attention is with a startling piece of data, so get this: Four women were having espresso martinis in San Francisco this past fall.

From The Wall Street Journal

This startled me as I knew what sound I was hearing.

From The Wall Street Journal

The news that Paul Thomas Anderson was rolling up his sleeves to make an action thriller was startling but intriguing, and kind of funny.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agitate
• alarm
• amaze
• astonish
• astound
• awe
• scare
• shake up
• shock
• stagger
• stun
• terrify