startle
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.
-
something that startles.
verb
Synonym Usage
See shock 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
startlesimple
-
startlessimple
-
have startledperfect
-
has startledperfect
-
am startlingprogressive
-
are startlingprogressive
-
is startlingprogressive
-
have been startlingperfect progressive
-
has been startlingperfect progressive
Past
-
startledsimple
-
had startledperfect
-
was startlingprogressive
-
were startlingprogressive
-
had been startlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of startle
First recorded before 1100; Middle English stertlen “to rush, caper,” equivalent to stert(en) “to begin, start” ( see start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian “to kick, struggle”
Explanation
To startle is to jump, like when you're surprised. If you’re sneaking through a dark room and step on a sleeping dog’s tail — you might startle the dog. If she barks, that dog startles you right back! A startle is a quick, sharp movement, like a little jump that happens when you’re surprised or suddenly scared. If you sneak up on your mom and say "Boo!" you’ll startle her and she might jump up in her seat (before she yells at you to quit it). Alarm clocks and barking dogs often startle people. The original meaning of startle, around 1300, was "to run back and forth," from the Old English word styrtan, "to leap up."
Vocabulary lists containing startle
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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The Circuit
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"May Frankness May Startle" On July 2, after my resignation, a breakthrough finally came in the crisis over Lebanon.
From Time Magazine Archive
Startle Pah from his invisible perch and send him down for us.
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Startle into inattention by a smart slap of the hands together, sharp extension of the finger, abrupt turns upon the floor.
From Sunday-School Success A Book of Practical Methods for Sunday-School Teachers and Officers by Wells, Amos R.
Startle not, reader, at the statement;—this abominable practice is followed by many a female who claims the sacred name of mother.
From The Young Mother Management of Children in Regard to Health by Alcott, William A. (William Andrus)
A flock of goldfinches may stop their flight, And wheeling round a birchen tree alight Deep in its glittering leaves, until They see us, when their swift rise will Startle a sudden thrill.
From The Germ Thoughts towards Nature in Poetry, Literature and Art by Rossetti, Dante Gabriel
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.
