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surprise party

American  

noun

  • surprise parties
    plural
  1. a party or celebration planned for someone as a surprise.

  2. something that surprises someone.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of surprise party

First recorded in 1835–45

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.

See Examples For:

This is a surprise party season for the Colts, who bounced back from a six-turnover stinkbomb to the Steelers a week ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025

Becker remembers employees’ birthdays with gifts or, in the case of Biltmore public relations director Victoria King, with a surprise party on Tuesday night at a Mexican restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2024

A D-Day veteran shot just 12 days after being flown into Normandy was treated to a surprise party in Suffolk for his 100th birthday.

From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2024

It kind of felt like a surprise party, except none of my close friends were there.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2023

"Since you spilled the beans about Marcy Rubin's surprise party," Kendra said.

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene

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