surprise
Use Surprise in a sentence
verb (used with object)
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
6.
an act or instance of surprising or being surprised.
7.
something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement: His announcement was a surprise to all.
8.
an assault, as on an army or a fort, made without warning.
9.
a coming upon unexpectedly; detecting in the act; taking unawares.
00:10
Surprise
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| chat, to converse |
10.
take by surprise,
a.
to come upon unawares.
b.
to astonish; amaze: The amount of the donation took us completely by surprise.
Origin:
1425–75; (noun) late Middle English < Anglo-French surpris(e), Middle French, past participle of surprendre, equivalent to sur- sur-1 + pris (masculine), prise (feminine) < Latin prēnsus, -sa, equivalent to prēnd(ere), contracted variant of prehendere to take (see prehension) + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (v.) late Middle English surprisen < Anglo-French surpris(e) (past participle), Middle French, as above
1425–75; (noun) late Middle English < Anglo-French surpris(e), Middle French, past participle of surprendre, equivalent to sur- sur-1 + pris (masculine), prise (feminine) < Latin prēnsus, -sa, equivalent to prēnd(ere), contracted variant of prehendere to take (see prehension) + -tus, -ta past participle suffix; (v.) late Middle English surprisen < Anglo-French surpris(e) (past participle), Middle French, as above
Related forms
zɪd sur·pris·er, noun
su·per·sur·prise, noun
un·sur·prised, adjective
Synonyms
1. 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.
1. 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.
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.
Cite This Source
|
Link To surprise
Collins
World English Dictionary
surprise (səˈpraɪz) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 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. | ( |
| 6. | ( |
| —n | |
| 7. | the act or an instance of surprising; the act of taking unawares |
| 8. | a sudden or unexpected event, gift, etc |
| 9. | the feeling or condition of being surprised; astonishment |
| 10. | (modifier) causing, characterized by, or relying upon surprise: a surprise move |
| 11. | take by surprise |
| a. to come upon suddenly and without warning | |
| b. to capture unexpectedly or catch unprepared | |
| c. to astonish; amaze | |
| [C15: from Old French, from surprendre to overtake, from | |
| sur'prisal | |
| —n | |
| sur'prised | |
| —adj | |
| surprisedly | |
| —adv | |
| sur'priser | |
| —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
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
surprise
mid-15c., "unexpected attack or capture," from M.Fr. surprise "a taking unawares," from noun use of pp. of O.Fr. surprendre "to overtake," from sur- "over" + prendre "to take," from L. prendere, contracted from prehendere "to grasp, seize" (see prehensile). Meaning "something
unexpected" first recorded 1590s, that of "feeling caused by something unexpected" is c.1600. Meaning "fancy dish" is attested from 1708.
"A Surprize is ... a dish ... which promising little from its first appearance, when open abounds with all sorts of variety." [W. King, "Cookery," 1708]The verb is from late 15c. Surprise party originally was a military detachment (1841); festive sense is attested from 1858. Related: Surprising; surprisingly.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Maybe for lots of people this is not something they've thought about, and it's going to catch them by surprise.
But the biggest surprise of all was reserved for the fourth article in the series.
But the extent of those strings took some college presidents by surprise.
The surprise is that many of these spectacular dishes don't require a tremendous amount of effort.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
Synonyms
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