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
Beirne said that Argentina "came out firing" in Dublin as they chased a first away win over Ireland, something that came as no surprise to the Irish pack.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The rare earth miner reported a surprise adjusted profit and sharply higher sales.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
The cost of the model also proved to be a surprise to many when Musk said in 2019, the year the Cybertruck was first unveiled, that it would be priced between $39,900 and $69,900.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
The giggles alerted Regan, and she looked 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
For 22V Research, this raises the likelihood of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates, with the firm expecting three hikes through 2027 if any of the possible highlighted surprises come to fruition.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Even when we think we know what is likely to happen, surprises tend to pop up willy-nilly—what?
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
“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
Philip Baum, professor of aviation security at the University of Coventry, said the industry "faces multiple bomb threats every single day" but he had been "surprised" by this week's incidents.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 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
But I was surprised that Mr. Varadarajan didn’t mention other schools of higher education that offer training in the classics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
My stomach aches, and I’ll be surprised if Zara still has a voice.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
It is a surprising display of strength after more than three years of war.
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
NewsNation was also first to call the most surprising Democratic Senate wins, including James Talarico of Texas, Annie Andrews of South Carolina and Adam Hamilton of Kansas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
To outsiders, this can be surprising because he is charm personified with the media, a delight to deal with.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Things were getting more surprising by the minute.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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