surprise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness.
Her beauty surprised me.
-
to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly.
We surprised the children raiding the cookie jar.
-
to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army, fort, person, etc.).
-
to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning.
to surprise the facts from the witness.
-
to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended.
to surprise a witness into telling the truth.
noun
-
an act or instance of surprising or being surprised.
-
something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement.
His announcement was a surprise to all.
-
an assault, as on an army or a fort, made without warning.
-
a coming upon unexpectedly; detecting in the act; taking unawares.
idioms
verb
-
to cause to feel amazement or wonder
-
to encounter or discover unexpectedly or suddenly
-
to capture or assault suddenly and without warning
-
to present with something unexpected, such as a gift
-
(foll by into) to provoke (someone) to unintended action by a trick, etc
to surprise a person into an indiscretion
-
(often foll by from) to elicit by unexpected behaviour or by a trick
to surprise information from a prisoner
noun
-
the act or an instance of surprising; the act of taking unawares
-
a sudden or unexpected event, gift, etc
-
the feeling or condition of being surprised; astonishment
-
(modifier) causing, characterized by, or relying upon surprise
a surprise move
-
-
to come upon suddenly and without warning
-
to capture unexpectedly or catch unprepared
-
to astonish; amaze
-
Usage
Spelling tips for surprise The word surprise is hard to spell for two reasons. First, many people forget to include the first r because it is not emphasized. Second, surprise sounds like it might end in -ize, but it actually ends in -ise. How to spell surprise: Surprise! There’s an r in the first syllable (even if it often doesn’t sound like there is). You can remember this by picturing the p being surprised that it’s surrounded by an r on both sides. Next, remember that surprise ends in rise, not prize.
Synonym Usage
Surprise, astonish, amaze, astound mean to strike with wonder because of unexpectedness, strangeness, unusualness, etc. To surprise is to take unawares or to affect with wonder: surprised at receiving a telegram. To astonish is to strike with wonder by something unlooked for, startling, or seemingly inexplicable: astonished at someone's behavior. To amaze is to astonish so greatly as to disconcert or bewilder: amazed at such an evidence of stupidity. To astound is to so overwhelm with surprise that one is unable to think or act: astounded by the news.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
supersurprisenoun
-
surprisalnoun
-
surprisernoun
-
surprisedadjective
-
unsurprisedadjective
-
surprisedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
surprisesimple
-
surprisessimple
-
have surprisedperfect
-
has surprisedperfect
-
am surprisingprogressive
-
are surprisingprogressive
-
is surprisingprogressive
-
have been surprisingperfect progressive
-
has been surprisingperfect progressive
Past
-
surprisedsimple
-
had surprisedperfect
-
was surprisingprogressive
-
were surprisingprogressive
-
had been surprisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of surprise
First recorded in 1425–75; (noun) late Middle English, from Anglo-French surpris(e), Middle French, past participle of surprendre, equivalent to sur- sur- 1 + pris (masculine), prise (feminine), from Latin prēnsus, -sa, equivalent to prēndere, contracted variant of prehendere “to take” ( see prehension) + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (verb) late Middle English surprisen, from Anglo-French surpris(e) (past participle), Middle French, as above
Explanation
A surprise can be an unexpected or astonishing event, such as an ambush or a really great grade on a test you didn't study for. Surprise can be a verb meaning to astonish or startle someone, a noun for the unexpected thing, or for the feeling produced by that surprise. It comes from the Latin word for "seize," and originally meant an unexpected military attack. When the novelist Charles Lever wrote in 1841 of "three cavalry regiments, their noiseless gestures and perfect stillness bespeaking at once that they were intended for a surprise party," he meant a surprise attack, not a birthday party.
Vocabulary lists containing surprise
Emotions on Display
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Shortly after the surprise Iranian strikes, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia launched strikes in Iraq against Iran-backed groups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"The resignation is definitely a surprise, because it is not in Mr. Modi's temperament to take a back step," analyst Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, who has written Modi's biography, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
For a club to have spent as much as Chelsea, it is no surprise fans might be frustrated with the returns - or lack of them.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
One in five Americans gets hit with a surprise medical bill after elective surgery.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
I turned to Regan, waiting for her to rip into me about leaving her behind, but to my surprise, she didn’t.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
The strategists also noted that investors have been overly bearish on second-quarter earnings, where there have already been a lot of surprises, similar to during the previous financial reporting season.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
By helping her gather these documents, you’ll be providing a bit of relief and preventing bad surprises when she’s grieving.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Some could get nastier surprises if the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The expansion to 48 teams and 104 games, meanwhile, made room for a number of surprises that gave the tournament its life and sparkle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Life is full of surprises, and maybe we will meet again someday.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Viewers were surprised early in the series when Kavan, who was sent in as a bombshell, was revealed to be the brother of day-one contestant Aidan Murphy.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
But they have still been surprised by the scale of those investments and the measures needed to fund them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Nobody should be surprised that the Supreme Court did this,” he said.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
He was surprised, he said, to find himself sharing his story, opening up for the first time at a “Life Success” seminar in Cincinnati, Ali’s hometown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Although I’d sensed that James was interested, it surprised me that he was already asking for a date.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
The most surprising part of the theory may be that the ancient median eye never disappeared completely.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
This take is ungenerous but not surprising, given that one of the timeworn accusations against Holden Caulfield is hypocrisy: This guy calls everyone else phony, but he’s just as phony!
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
In another case, an Israeli military official said Iran repaired a bridge that Israel had struck with three bombs within days, surprising Israeli officials and prompting them to question the effectiveness of their targeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
For its 15th anniversary, ‘Drive’ director Nicolas Winding Refn looks back on working with Ryan Gosling, shooting in L.A. and some surprising influences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The monkeys were moving with surprising speed through the tree branches.
From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple
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.
