surprise
Americanverb (used with object)
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surprises,
present (3rd person singular)
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surprised,
past participle, past
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surprising
present participle
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to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness.
Her beauty surprised me.
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to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly.
We surprised the children raiding the cookie jar.
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to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army, fort, person, etc.).
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to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning.
to surprise the facts from the witness.
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to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended.
to surprise a witness into telling the truth.
noun
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surprises
plural
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an act or instance of surprising or being surprised.
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something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement.
His announcement was a surprise to all.
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an assault, as on an army or a fort, made without warning.
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a coming upon unexpectedly; detecting in the act; taking unawares.
idioms
verb
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to cause to feel amazement or wonder
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to encounter or discover unexpectedly or suddenly
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to capture or assault suddenly and without warning
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to present with something unexpected, such as a gift
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(foll by into) to provoke (someone) to unintended action by a trick, etc
to surprise a person into an indiscretion
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(often foll by from) to elicit by unexpected behaviour or by a trick
to surprise information from a prisoner
noun
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the act or an instance of surprising; the act of taking unawares
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a sudden or unexpected event, gift, etc
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the feeling or condition of being surprised; astonishment
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(modifier) causing, characterized by, or relying upon surprise
a surprise move
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to come upon suddenly and without warning
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to capture unexpectedly or catch unprepared
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to astonish; amaze
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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
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supersurprisenoun
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surprisalnoun
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surprisernoun
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surprisedadjective
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unsurprisedadjective
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surprisedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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surprisesimple
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surprisessimple
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have surprisedperfect
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has surprisedperfect
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am surprisingprogressive
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are surprisingprogressive
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is surprisingprogressive
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have been surprisingperfect progressive
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has been surprisingperfect progressive
Past
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surprisedsimple
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had surprisedperfect
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was surprisingprogressive
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were surprisingprogressive
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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
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"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
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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.
See Examples For:
With Miller at the helm, it would be a surprise if the next two years turn out much better.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
It may be a surprise to some but Jobe Bellingham's call-up to the England senior side has been a long time coming.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The rare earth miner reported a surprise adjusted profit and sharply higher sales.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
A surprise in hiring or wages could shift expectations for interest rates and trigger fresh volatility.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
“Of course,” Callaway said, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Markets often react, and sometimes overreact, to surprises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
So far, there have been no big surprises, said Mark Baldassare, statewide survey director at the Public Policy Institute of California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Energy, utilities and industrials are delivering bigger earnings surprises as technology stocks struggle to exceed expectations.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
While this year's primary results did provide bigger surprises, Young says that nominating contests have historically been volatile, with voters more likely to make up their minds at the last minute.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
“Though you seem to be baffled by the clues to our current case, Nell, and that surprises me. Perhaps you were too distracted tracking down your daddy’s story to pay close attention to this one.”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
The head of the Metropolitan Police has said he "wouldn't be surprised" if more people came forward to make allegations about Russell Brand.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Monetary policy committee member Catherine Mann surprised markets by voting to increase rates by 50 basis points.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“So I was surprised she missed, but afterwards I hugged her and we’re playing a Toyota Tour Cup tournament at Morongo this weekend, so I’ll see her there.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Ippolito surprised them with an audition in which he managed to capture the essence of Stallone, including his mannerisms and physique.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
I was surprised when Jillian hadn’t automatically agreed with me, even after I repeated the information Parker and I had used in our winning argument.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
It is therefore not surprising that he informed Geffroy he wouldn’t be leaving Giverny when World War I broke out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The story takes a surprising, bittersweet turn, and Ms. Hepola realizes she’s in a contest she can’t win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Those results aren’t surprising to Lena Gonzalez, a Long Beach-area state senator who chairs California’s Latino Legislative Caucus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Taken together, these neural pathways point toward a potentially surprising explanation for the brain's unusual organization.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
Uncle Kufa knelt beside her and tried to wipe her face with a cloth, but she threw him back with surprising strength.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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