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surprise
[ser-prahyz, suh-]
verb (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.
surprise
/ səˈpraɪz, səˈpraɪzɪdlɪ /
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
Other 51³Ô¹Ï Forms
- surprisedly adverb
- surpriser noun
- supersurprise noun
- unsurprised adjective
- ²õ³Ü°ùˈ±è°ù¾±²õ±ð»å adjective
- ²õ³Ü°ùˈ±è°ù¾±²õ±ð°ù noun
- ²õ³Ü°ùˈ±è°ù¾±²õ²¹±ô noun
51³Ô¹Ï History and Origins
Origin of surprise1
51³Ô¹Ï History and Origins
Origin of surprise1
Idioms and Phrases
take by surprise,
to come upon unawares.
to astonish; amaze.
The amount of the donation took us completely by surprise.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Characters put on attitudes and get in and out of trouble — there are shootings and scrapes, surprising reveals and shocking events — but few are, or seem about to develop into, interesting people.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was among those surprised by the development.
The decision not to fund the drugs is not a surprise.
Alexander-Arnold surprised everyone at his unveiling when he appeared to speak in fluent Spanish.
Others seem a little uncomfortable - surprising though it sounds - about the loneliness of having to make up their own minds.
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Related 51³Ô¹Ïs
When To Use
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.
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.
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