startle
Use Startle in a sentence
tl verb (used with object)
1.
to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.
2.
to cause to start involuntarily, by or as by a sudden shock.
verb (used without object)
3.
to start involuntarily, as from a shock of surprise or alarm.
noun
4.
a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.
5.
something that startles.
Origin:
before 1100; Middle English stertlen to rush, caper, equivalent to stert(en) to start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian to kick, struggle
before 1100; Middle English stertlen to rush, caper, equivalent to stert(en) to start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian to kick, struggle
Related forms
star·tle·ment, noun
star·tler, noun
out·star·tle, verb (used with object), out·star·tled, out·star·tling.
un·star·tled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To startle
00:10
Startle
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
| to flee; abscond: |
Collins
World English Dictionary
startle (ˈstɑːtəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| to be or cause to be surprised or frightened, esp so as to start involuntarily | |
| [Old English steartlian to stumble; related to Middle High German starzen to strut, Norwegian sterta to strain oneself] | |
| 'startler | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They're aloof, but then they suddenly appear and startle people.
The word coming so close upon the sensation of cold water rushing over her hand seemed to startle her.
We still have earthquakes, she says, noting the tremors that occasionally startle her at night.
Patients are permanently primed for fight or flight, and tend to startle more easily.
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