Surprise Definition & Meaning

American

British

More Idioms

Usage

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms surprise American [ser-prahyz, suh-] / sərˈpraɪz, sə- /

verb (used with object)

surprised, surprising

1. to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness.

   Her beauty surprised me.

2. to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly.

   We surprised the children raiding the cookie jar.

3. to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army, fort, person, etc.).

4. to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning.

   to surprise the facts from the witness.

5. to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended.

   to surprise a witness into telling the truth.

noun

1. an act or instance of surprising or being surprised.

2. something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement.

   His announcement was a surprise to all.

3. an assault, as on an army or a fort, made without warning.

4. a coming upon unexpectedly; detecting in the act; taking unawares.

idioms

1. take by surprise,

   1. to come upon unawares.

   2. to astonish; amaze.

      The amount of the donation took us completely by surprise.

surprise British / səˈpraɪz, səˈpraɪzɪdlɪ /

verb

1. to cause to feel amazement or wonder

2. to encounter or discover unexpectedly or suddenly

3. to capture or assault suddenly and without warning

4. to present with something unexpected, such as a gift

5. (foll by into) to provoke (someone) to unintended action by a trick, etc

   to surprise a person into an indiscretion

6. (often foll by from) to elicit by unexpected behaviour or by a trick

   to surprise information from a prisoner

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. the act or an instance of surprising; the act of taking unawares

2. a sudden or unexpected event, gift, etc

3. the feeling or condition of being surprised; astonishment

4. (modifier) causing, characterized by, or relying upon surprise

   a surprise move

5. 1. to come upon suddenly and without warning

   2. to capture unexpectedly or catch unprepared

   3. to astonish; amaze

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 surprise More Idioms

1. see take by surprise.

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.

Related Words

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

• supersurprise noun
• surprisal noun
• surprised adjective
• surprisedly adverb
• surpriser noun
• unsurprised adjective

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” ( prehension ) + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (verb) late Middle English surprisen, from Anglo-French surpris(e) (past participle), Middle French, as above

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.

The Panthers, meanwhile, have been a happier surprise.

From The Wall Street Journal

These are merry, newly confident times in New England, but also a surprise.

From The Wall Street Journal

Wilson isn’t trying to put himself back on the board, which might come as a surprise to some given his recent efforts to publicly target the company he started.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their recently completed “My Favorite Murder” live tour also made it interesting with surprise guests and their genuine delight in seeing audiences in hyper-specific cosplay.

From Los Angeles Times

That is a sentiment that might surprise some voters in the UK, but the Taiwanese Parliament has had a reputation for brawling, with punches - and on one occasion pig guts - being thrown.

From BBC

Related Words

• amaze
• astound
• awe
• bewilder
• confound
• confuse
• dazzle
• disconcert
• dismay
• dumbfound
• flabbergast
• overwhelm
• perplex
• rattle
• shock
• startle
• stun
• unsettle

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.