startles
- present tense form of startle (3rd person singular).
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.
I am not sure what startles more—that the feat was achieved at all or that it was Mr. Koolhaas’s firm that pulled it off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Whether seeing the fear in combatants and civilians alike or observing how societal ills followed young servicemembers to the front, Lagoze startles in his prose just as he did in his 2019 documentary, “Combat Obscura.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2023
The sight of them visibly startles people who have not thought about them for years.
From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2022
When something startles the flightless birds, they can be seen sprinting around the edges of their enclosures, flailing their long necks around.
From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2022
When Albert looks up from the stove, he startles but only says, “Hello,” and “Watch your head,” and waves his cooking spoon as the giant dodges the light fixture.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
